Taylor Simone Ledward has fired back in the Chadwick Boseman estate lawsuit, accusing the late actor’s older brothers of using court proceedings to damage her reputation in the tabloid press. In a response filed Thursday in Los Angeles, she denied claims that she mishandled the estate or failed to distribute assets under a 2022 court order.

Derrick Boseman and Kevin Boseman filed their July petition on behalf of their parents, Leroy Boseman and Carolyn Boseman. They want Ledward removed as administrator, alleging that nearly four years passed without the estate being properly divided.

Ledward’s lawyer, Adam Streisand, called the case a “public-relations stunt” filled with false statements. He argued that she fulfilled the order and voluntarily gave the family considerably more than the law required.

Why Chadwick Boseman’s brothers went to court

Chadwick Boseman died without a will on August 28, 2020, at age 43, following a private, years-long battle with colon cancer. Under the court-approved division of his estate, Ledward inherited 50 percent. His parents were each entitled to 25 percent.

Derrick and Kevin are not legal heirs themselves, although they brought the case with authority from their parents. Their petition claims Ledward failed to complete the required distributions and should no longer control the estate.

Her response says the opposite. Streisand described the filing as a “baseless attack” by the actor’s brothers, who he said were acting under the authority of their “ailing parents.” He asked the court to deny their request.

According to Ledward’s filing, the brothers first threatened legal action around the first anniversary of Boseman’s death, while she was still dealing with her grief. She says no concern or complaint followed for years. Then, five years after his death, detailed allegations appeared in TMZ before she knew the petition had been filed. Efficient communication, apparently, was not the family’s preferred method.

Which estate assets were distributed

Ledward says she distributed every estate asset except one individual retirement account that the brothers’ own earlier legal demands caused the bank to hold back.

The assets identified in her response include:

  • $151,558 in a Bank of America account
  • 100 shares of Chadwick Boseman, Inc., valued at $3,396,969
  • A $40,000 life insurance policy
  • Another bank account containing $241,180.75
  • Unclaimed property valued at $0.88

The filing accounts for the estate down to 88 cents, so the dispute is not suffering from a shortage of decimal places.

A roughly $300,000 IRA held by City National Bank remains undistributed. Ledward argues that the bank retained those funds only because the petitioners demanded it. She says she will release the money once the restriction is resolved.

“No Estate asset has been lost, wasted, or mismanaged,” her response states. It also says she handled the estate transparently and consulted the family at every significant stage, despite having no obligation to involve them in that way.

What Ledward says she gave the family

Beyond the court-ordered distributions, Ledward says she gave more than $300,000 of her own money to Derrick Boseman’s four children. Her lawyers argue that this is difficult to square with the brothers’ portrayal of an administrator deliberately withholding money from their parents.

The estate has also received about $300,000 in residual payments from the Screen Actors Guild-American Federation of Television and Radio Artists since Boseman’s death. Under the distribution order, half belongs to Ledward, while each parent receives 25 percent.

At the parents’ request, the filing says, Ledward paid $75,000 to Derrick and another $75,000 to Kevin for residuals earned between 2020 and 2024. Those payments totaled $150,000.

Streisand wrote that Ledward’s generosity had been “both financial and collaborative,” adding that she repeatedly involved Boseman’s relatives in efforts to preserve the actor’s work and public legacy.

“This is how the family repays her,” the filing states, accusing the brothers of submitting false claims under oath and causing additional harm to Boseman’s legacy.

How she has handled Boseman’s legacy

Ledward’s response also lists projects she has pursued since her husband’s death. She established the Chadwick Boseman Foundation for the Arts, licensed a production of his play Deep Azure at Shakespeare’s Globe in London and secured a documentary agreement.

According to the filing, Derrick and Kevin knew about those projects, actively participated in them and agreed to terms designed to benefit both sides of the family equally. Her lawyers present that cooperation as further evidence against allegations of concealment or mismanagement.

The documents also provide more detail about Boseman and Ledward’s marriage. They say she cared for him throughout his cancer treatment and remained with him as his condition worsened.

The couple married on August 21, 2020, shortly before his death on August 28. Derrick officiated the ceremony. The filing says Boseman wanted Ledward to become his wife despite knowing that the end of his life was near.

An attorney representing Derrick and Kevin Boseman has been contacted for comment. The court has not yet ruled on their attempt to remove Ledward as administrator.