Malcolm-Jamal Warner’s mother has reached a proposed settlement with representatives for the late actor’s 9-year-old daughter amid an ongoing legal dispute over his estate, TMZ reports.
Pamela Warner told the outlet that she reached an agreement with her granddaughter’s guardians over the child’s inheritance. The proposed settlement still requires court approval. Warner’s widow, Tenisha Warner, did not appear to participate in the negotiations.
Pamela Warner said she remains “hopeful that all parties will support the resolution.”
Under the agreement, Warner’s daughter would receive the majority of the remaining trust and estate, according to the publication. The settlement would also cover the child’s college tuition.
Pamela Warner denied allegations that she tried to prevent her granddaughter from receiving financial support.
“Recent claims that Pamela sought to prevent her granddaughter from receiving financial support are untrue,” she said.
Pamela Warner also said her son was “thoughtful and deliberate in his estate planning to include all his loved ones.” She acknowledged that his trust was divided among herself, his father, and his sister, but said the actor made separate financial provisions for his wife and daughter.
The proposed settlement comes as Pamela Warner and Tenisha Warner remain involved in a separate legal dispute over the actor’s estate.
Tenisha Warner filed a civil complaint on July 20 in DeKalb County Superior Court in Georgia, alleging breach of contract and seeking approximately $1.28 million from her mother-in-law. The complaint alleges the money is owed under the couple’s premarital agreement and other financial obligations.
According to the complaint,
Warner agreed to maintain a $1 million term life insurance policy naming his wife as the sole beneficiary. Tenisha Warner also alleges that he agreed to make annual contributions to her Roth IRA, pay her $16,000 for each wedding anniversary, and provide a monthly salary for her work as his chief of staff.Tenisha Warner has said her husband intended to replace an estate plan created in 1996, but died before completing a new one.
Warner, best known for playing Theo Huxtable on “The Cosby Show,” died July 20, 2025, at age 54, in an accidental drowning while vacationing in Costa Rica.
The proposed settlement involving his daughter does not resolve Tenisha Warner’s separate claims against the estate.
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