Court: Billy Garland Inherits Nothing from Tupac

On December 9, 1997, Judge Arnold Gold of the Los Angeles Superior Court rejected the inheritance claim of William “Billy” Garland. The truck driver from New Jersey, Tupac’s biological father, had demanded half of the estate. Afeni Shakur had fought back with all her strength: Garland had been an absent father who had contributed almost nothing to Tupac’s upbringing.

DNA Alone Is Not Enough

In the fall, a DNA test had confirmed Garland’s paternity with a 99.97 percent probability. But in court, it was about more than biology. Documented as Garland’s contribution were 820 dollars, a bag of peanuts and a movie ticket for Rollerball; he had not seen his son for 15 of the 25 years of his life. The judge called his contributions to support and care negligible.

Estate attorney Richard Fischbein spoke of a defeat for fathers who do not care. Garland’s attorney Mitchell Reinis announced that an appeal had a good chance. In October 1998, Garland withdrew it and accepted a settlement of 540,000 dollars. How Garland testified in court in the summer can be read in the magazine: Tupac’s father Billy Garland testifies in court.