More than a year after his sudden death, his widow and his mother remain embroiled in an increasingly contentious dispute over his estate.
Malcolm-Jamal Warner's widow has accused the late actor's mother of selling his $1.6 million Los Angeles home despite allegedly intending for the property to go to his wife and daughter.
More than a year after the "Cosby Show" star's sudden death at age 54, his widow, Tenisha Warner, and his mother, Pamela Warner, remain embroiled in an increasingly contentious dispute over his estate.
Now, a piece of the actor's real estate portfolio has emerged at the center of their battle.
According to new legal documents obtained by TMZ, Tenisha claims that her late husband had wanted his California residence to be left to her and their 9-year-old daughter, MacKenzie.
Instead, Tenisha alleges, Pamela sold the property and placed the proceeds into the Warner Family Trust.
Real estate records cited by the outlet indicate that Warner owned a home in Studio City at the time of his death and that the property changed hands for $1.6 million in May 2026.
Malcolm-Jamal Warner's widow has accused the late actor's mother of selling his $1.6 million Los Angeles home despite allegedly intending for the property to go to his wife and daughter. (GoFundme) For Tenisha, however, the dispute over the property is about more than its monetary value.
In her filing, she describes the residence as an important part of MacKenzie's childhood and maintains that Warner did not deliberately intend to exclude his wife or daughter from his family trust.
The disagreement over the California property is just one element of a much larger legal fight that has unfolded since Warner's death in July 2025.
Tenisha sued Pamela in Georgia in July, alleging that her late husband had failed to fulfill several financial obligations outlined in a premarital agreement the couple signed shortly before marrying in May 2022.
Among them was an agreement that Warner would obtain a $1 million life insurance policy naming Tenisha as its sole beneficiary, according to the Atlanta Journal-Constitution, which reviewed the complaint and premarital agreement.
Tenisha alleges that the policy was never secured.
Her lawsuit also claims Warner had agreed to pay her $5,000 a month for working as his chief of staff and assistant, as well as make additional annual payments. She is seeking more than $1.2 million that she says she is owed under their agreement.
Tenisha has said that she put her own career on hold while caring for MacKenzie and supporting her husband's career and maintains that Warner intended to ensure she and their daughter were financially provided for.
Pamela, meanwhile, has pushed back against her daughter-in-law's account of the estate dispute.
More than a year after the "Cosby Show" star's sudden death at age 54, his widow, Tenisha Warner, and his mother, Pamela Warner, remain embroiled in an increasingly contentious dispute over his estate. (Brendan Hoffman/Getty Images) 
According to new legal documents obtained by TMZ, Tenisha claims that her late husband had wanted his California residence to be left to her and their 9-year-old daughter, MacKenzie. (GoFundme) In court documents, Pamela claimed that she attempted to reach a private agreement with Tenisha that would have directed the majority of the remaining trust assets to MacKenzie.
Pamela said the proposed arrangement included a $2 million life insurance policy, a separate Georgia trust connected to a home purchased for Tenisha and MacKenzie, and a retirement account left to Tenisha that she valued at $2.4 million.
Tenisha disputes the characterization that she simply rejected efforts to settle the matter, arguing in her latest filing that she instead resisted what she described as unfair pressure during the negotiations.
The Georgia property has also become another point of contention.
Tenisha acknowledges that Pamela offered the home to her and MacKenzie but says the residence carries a mortgage of approximately $700,000.
She argues that the heavily mortgaged property does not replace what she believes Warner intended to provide for his daughter through his estate.
Pamela said the proposed arrangement included a $2 million life insurance policy, a separate Georgia trust connected to a home purchased for Tenisha and MacKenzie, and a retirement account left to Tenisha that she valued at $2.4 million. (Paras Griffin/Getty Images) 
Pamela has since reached a separate agreement with MacKenzie's court-appointed guardian over the child's inheritance and is seeking court approval of that settlement. (Steve Granitz/WireImage) Pamela has since reached a separate agreement with MacKenzie's court-appointed guardian over the child's inheritance and is seeking court approval of that settlement.
Warner died on July 20, 2025, after accidentally drowning while vacationing in Costa Rica.
The actor rose to fame playing Theo Huxtable on "The Cosby Show," a role he portrayed for eight seasons.
More than a year after his death, however, the fate of the wealth and properties he left behind continues to fuel a deeply personal legal dispute between his widow and mother—with the $1.6 million sale of his Studio City home now becoming one of its latest flashpoints.