Sekyiwa Shakur, the sister of Tupac, has filed a lawsuit against the executor of their late mother’s estate, alleging he has “embezzled millions” and also refused to give back personal items with “tremendous sentimental value” that the deceased rap legend owned.
According to Billboard, the lawsuit was filed in a Los Angeles court on Monday. And per the details of the suit, Sekyiwa and The Tupac Shakur Foundation allege Tom Whalley blatantly violated his responsibilities as the executor of their mother Afeni Shakur-Davis’ estate. Those alleged violations include appointing himself to a crucial management position even though there’s a conflict of interest.
“He has effectively embezzled millions of dollars for his own benefit,” Sekyiwa claimed in the suit. “Whalley has unreasonably enriched himself at the expense of the beneficiaries and in bad faith by taking excessive compensation in a position from which he should properly be barred based on the inherent conflict of interest.”
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Following the 1996 shooting death of Tupac, his mother Afeni was entrusted as the beneficiary of the All Eyez on Me rapper’s estate. Whalley, however, became the executor of Afeni’s estate following her death in 2016.
But upon assuming the position, Sekyiwa alleges a number of Whalley’s actions on the job have amounted to “malfeasance”, per Billboard. And the most notable misconduct, according to the lawsuit, was making himself the manager of the Amaru Entertainment record label. The company in question has reportedly overseen the release of some of Tupac’s music and is “principal income-producing asset of the Trust.”
“Whalley has already received more than $5.5 million that he has paid himself in the last five years through Amaru,” Skeyiwa claimed in the lawsuit, adding that Whalley has also refused to hand over her late brother’s personal belongings which include valuables that were passed on to their mother Afeni. The items include Tupac’s cars, jewelry, artwork and his “golden records.”
“It is clear that he has used and abused his powers as executor and special trustee of the estate and the trust to convert the personal property belonging to Sekyiwa as a piggy bank from which he has drawn substantial funds for his own benefit,” Sekyiwa wrote.
The allegations were, however, rejected by an attorney representing the trust, Billboard reported. Howard King, a popular music litigator, told the news outlet Whalley had been a “friend and confidant” of Tupac and Afeni for a long time and he had done nothing unethical. King also stressed that Afeni appointed Whalley as the manager of Amaru Entertainment prior to her death.
“These legal claims are disappointing and detrimental to all beneficiaries of the trust,” King said. “We are confident the court will promptly conclude that Tom has always acted in the best interests of Amaru, the trust, and all beneficiaries.”
