John Singleton's mom approaches court to stop paying his daughter monthly allowance of $2,700

John Singleton's mother, Sheila Ward, was given the responsibility of overseeing his estate after his death in 2019

UPDATED APR 27, 2023

John Singleton’s mother filed an objection in court against paying his adult daughter $2,700 every month as allowance (Photo by Rich Fury/Getty Images)

LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA: Late director John Singleton’s mother has reportedly raised an objection about his adult daughter's demand that she continues receiving $2,700 a month for school, despite claims that she graduated in 2021. The 'Boyz N The Hood' director's mother, Sheila Ward, was given the responsibility of overseeing his estate after his death in 2019.

In a recent report to the court, Ward revealed that after handling debts and selling off assets, Singleton’s estate's value is listed as $6M, which would be equally split between his children, Justice, Selenesol, Hadar, Massai, Cleopatra, Isis and Seven. However, she requested the court to terminate monthly payments of $2,778 to Cleopatra. The court approved the payment in 2019 to support Singleton's daughter as a “full-time student who did not have other sources of income.” Singleton shared Cleopatra with his former girlfriend, Vestria D Barlow, who is also the mother of his son, Massai.

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What is Sheila Ward demanding?

Ward revealed in the filing that Cleopatra graduated from Xavier University of Louisiana in May 2021 but continued receiving the payment. “She has received family allowance payments for nearly two years after her date of graduation while at the same time receiving the sum of $244,453.35 (from the sale of John’s Miami property),” she said in the court filing, obtained by Radar Online. She also proposed that the allowance payments made to Cleopatra after the date of her graduation should be deducted from her final inheritance from Singleton’s estate.

John Singleton attends the 2017 ESSENCE Festival presented by Coca-Cola at Ernest N. Morial Convention Center on July 1, 2017 in New Orleans, Louisiana. — John Singleton attends the 2017 ESSENCE Festival presented by Coca-Cola at Ernest N. Morial Convention Center on July 1, 2017 in New Orleans, Louisiana (Photo by Paras Griffin/Getty Images for 2017 ESSENCE Festival)

“The payment of a family allowance was to assist her with completing her undergraduate degree which she has accomplished. As the basis for Cleopatra's family allowance payments no longer exist, the family allowance payments to her should be terminated by ex parte order effective May 1, 2023,” Ward added. Before Cleopatra, Ward even rejected the demands her mother, Barlow, made regarding unpaid child support. In 2022, Barlow filed a creditor's claim as part of the inheritance proceedings.

Why did Vestria D Barlow demand $438,000?

John Singleton attends the 90th Annual Academy Awards at Hollywood & Highland Center on March 4, 2018 in Hollywood, California. — John Singleton attends the 90th Annual Academy Awards at Hollywood & Highland Center on March 4, 2018 in Hollywood, California (Photo by Neilson Barnard/Getty Images)

Barlow revealed in her court documents that in 2001, Singleton was ordered to pay $3,875 per month for each child until they were 18 but he stopped making Massai's child support payments 2006. She noted that she was meant to receive $213,000 for her son at the time of Singleton’s death, according to Radar Online. She further claimed that Singleton was due to pay $225,000 for Cleopatra because, in 2006, he unilaterally reduced the monthly child support payment from $3,875 to $1,200. She demanded $438,000 in total but Ward refused to make any payment and in her court filing gave no reason for not entertaining her requests.