Taylor Simone Ledward pushed back against a bitter legal fight over Chadwick Boseman’s estate. The actor’s widow accused his brothers of using the lawsuit to damage her reputation.
Derrick and Kevin Boseman had sought to remove Ledward as the estate’s administrator. They claimed she failed to distribute Boseman’s assets according to a 2022 court order.
Chadwick Boseman’s widow calls his brothers’ estate lawsuit a “PR stunt” intended to smear her
According to Page Six, Ledward denied the allegations in new court documents. Her attorney, Adam Streisand, called the lawsuit a “public-relations stunt to smear Simone in the tabloid press.” Streisand said Ledward had exceeded her legal obligations. “Simone has not only complied with the Order,” he wrote. She had also acted generously toward Boseman’s family, according to the filing.
The documents said Ledward distributed every estate asset except one blocked account. That included $151,558 from Bank of America and 100 company shares. The shares were valued at $3,396,969. The estate also included a $40,000 life insurance policy and $241,180.75.
Another $300,000 IRA remained undistributed. Ledward said the brothers’ legal action had blocked those funds. She also allegedly gifted more than $300,000 personally to Derrick’s four children. The filing said she gave the family additional residual payments. The estate received roughly $300,000 in SAG-AFTRA residuals between 2020 and 2024. Ledward distributed $75,000 each to Derrick and Kevin.
Ledward also highlighted her work protecting Boseman’s legacy. She established the Chadwick Boseman Foundation for the Arts and licensed Deep Azure at Shakespeare’s Globe. She also secured a documentary deal. The filing said the projects benefited both sides of the family equally. Boseman died without a will on August 28, 2020. He was 43 and had privately battled colon cancer for years.
The documents said the brothers previously threatened Ledward with litigation during her grief. They also noted her marriage to Boseman six days before his death. “Chadwick wanted Simone to be his wife,” the filing stated. The couple married August 21, 2020, with Derrick officiating.
Ledward inherited 50% of Boseman’s estate. His parents were entitled to 25% each under the court order. Her response called the brothers’ claims “baseless.” It also said no estate asset had been lost, wasted, or mismanaged.
