Malcolm-Jamal Warner’s widow, Tenisha Warner, is suing the late actor’s accountant for negligence. Tenisha is suing Malcolm’s former business manager and financial advisor who worked for him from 1996 to 2023.
Malcolm, 54, drowned in a rip current while swimming with his then-8-year-old daughter off the coast of Costa Rica on July 20, 2025. A bystander rescued the child.
On Monday, July 20, the anniversary of the actor’s death, Tenisha Warner filed a lawsuit against his mother, Pamela Warner, in DeKalb County (Georgia) Superior Court.
Tenisha sued Pamela Warner for $1.2 million from the Warner Family Trust.
According to court documents, obtained by the Atlanta Journal-Constitution, Tenisha accused her husband of failing to honor his prenuptial agreement while he was alive.
The lawsuit claims Malcolm’s team (including his mother and accountant) assisted Malcolm with his insurance needs and estate planning. The majority of his estate was left to his mother.
Tenisha said Malcolm instructed the unnamed accountant to change his estate plans to provide for Tenisha and the child, according to TMZ. But she claims a life insurance policy that was part of their prenuptial agreement never materialized.
Tenisha said Malcolm wanted the financial advisor to take out a $2 million life insurance policy on Malcolm, with her and their daughter as beneficiaries. But she said the accountant never secured the policy. She’s now suing the accountant for professional negligence and seeking unspecified damages, TMZ reports.
Tenisha recently sat down for an exclusive interview with Gayle King that aired on “CBS Mornings” on Thursday. Watch the interview below.