A federal judge in New York has ruled that Wendy Williams’ ex-husband, Kevin Hunter, can proceed with his $10 million lawsuit against the producers of The Wendy Williams Show. RadarOnline.com says that the ruling comes after the defendants tried to have the lawsuit preliminarily dismissed.
The lawsuit stems from Hunter’s alleged wrongful termination from his role as an executive producer on The Wendy Williams Show. The firing occurred after Williams filed for divorce and accused him of cheating during 2019. He says he represented his ex-wife in negotiations with Debmar-Mercury LCC as well as the production company’s heads, Ira Bernstein and Mort Marcus.
Kevin Hunter With Wendy Williams In NYC
According to documents obtained by the outlet, the judge ruled against the defendants. “The termination of [Kevin] was based strictly upon [Kevin’s] marital status and his impending divorce to the Show’s host, ignoring all of the contributions that [Kevin] made to make the Show a success,” Hunter’s lawsuit reads. It further adds: “[Kevin] was used to being behind the scenes of Williams’ prior ventures and used his business knowledge and street smarts to negotiate a significant financial increase from the initial contract being offered to Williams."
Hunter claims to be responsible for much of the show's success, including coming up with Wendy’s iconic segments Hot Topics and Shoe Cam. He also says he developed marketing plans to boost ratings while developing contacts in the media and helping to increase the show's popularity in the Black community. Hunter claims the producers plan to use his ideas on their new talk show with Sherri Shepherd which he says would be in violation of New York law. Another hearing on the case is in place for later this month. Be on the lookout for further updates on Hunter's lawsuit on HotNewHipHop.
[Via]