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Chadwick Boseman’s estate case has taken another turn after letters from the months following his 2020 death became public.
The documents, obtained by TMZ, show that his parents and brothers asked his widow, Taylor Simone Ledward Boseman, to preserve data from his electronic devices, provide medical records and account for his bank information. The requests came in November 2020, less than three months after Boseman’s death.
The newly surfaced correspondence adds another layer to a dispute that is now back before a Los Angeles court.
What the family sought in 2020
According to the letters, lawyers representing Leroy and Carolyn Boseman and their sons Derrick and Kevin asked Ledward Boseman’s legal team to preserve information stored on Boseman’s phones, computers, iPads and other devices.
They also sought access to his medical records and information about his financial accounts. The family said the requests were connected to their interest in understanding Boseman’s intentions concerning his assets.
Ledward Boseman’s attorney responded in December 2020. The response disputed the approach taken by the family and indicated that the estate would proceed through the formal legal process.
The correspondence shows that disagreements surrounding Boseman’s estate emerged soon after his passing.
What the later letter raised
A second letter, dated Aug. 23, 2021, raised additional questions about Boseman’s medical records and the circumstances surrounding his final days.
The family’s attorneys referred to an autopsy and cited a reported hydromorphone concentration of 0.12 milligrams per liter. They characterized the figure as unusually high and said it prompted questions about his medical care.
Those claims came from the family’s attorneys. The TMZ report did not publish the autopsy itself, and the material reviewed for this story does not establish that the medication caused Boseman’s death. Boseman had been privately undergoing treatment for colon cancer before he died in August 2020 at age 43.
Why the letters matter now
The timing is significant because Boseman’s family is again challenging the administration of his estate.
Derrick and Kevin Boseman filed a petition in Los Angeles in July 2026 seeking to remove Ledward Boseman as administrator. They allege that she did not fully distribute the portion of the estate assigned to their parents under a 2022 probate order.
Boseman died without a will. A 2022 court order provided for 50% of the estate to go to his widow, with 25% going to each parent.
Ledward Boseman has disputed the allegations and has pointed to payments made to Boseman’s parents. TMZ reported that she has asked the court to reject the brothers’ effort to remove her.
The old letters do not resolve the current case. They do, however, show that disagreements about Boseman’s records, finances and wishes began much earlier than the latest court filing.
The Los Angeles court will determine what the estate records show and whether Ledward Boseman should continue serving as administrator.
Source: TMZ
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