Service of defendants marks a key step in a $250 million federal lawsuit spotlighting systemic risks in the U.S. guardianship system.
NEW YORK, Sept. 10, 2025 /PRNewswire/ — Wendy Williams is at the center of a federal civil rights lawsuit challenging what Plaintiffs call systemic abuses in the guardianship system. Filed in the Southern District of New York, Case No. 25-cv-5107 (MMG), the suit seeks more than $250 million in damages.
“This case is about restoring Wendy’s voice in a system that silenced her — and shining a light on a guardianship system that routinely strips people of their rights across this country,” said LaShawn Thomas, Esq., Lead Counsel.
The Complaint alleges that judicial officers and fiduciaries deprived Williams of her rights, finances, and autonomy through an unlawful guardianship scheme. It claims the guardianship dismantled her estate plan by suspending a valid Florida power of attorney, displacing her chosen decision-makers, and destabilizing family relationships. Her son, Kevin Hunter, endured three eviction proceedings after the guardian allegedly withheld rent funded through Williams’s 529 Prepaid College Plan. Williams herself is denied meaningful time with her elderly father.
Because Williams is under a contested guardianship and cannot sue in her own name, the case proceeds through a Next Friend motion. Her ex-husband, Kelvin Hunter, petitions to act in a representative capacity — an extraordinary step underscoring the severity of the guardianship and the enduring strength of family bonds. He also asserts his own claims, alleging that Wells Fargo and the court-appointed guardian breached their court-approved Marital Settlement Agreement by halting payments from his share of marital assets without judicial authority.
The Complaint describes guardianship as a form of “civil death”— alleging Williams lost liberty and property not due to incapacity, but to institutional and financial interests.
“While Wendy is at the center, this case is bigger than one person,” said Celeste McCaw, Esq., Litigation Lead at MELG. “It’s about ensuring that powerful institutions and courts cannot collude to strip vulnerable people of their freedom under the false label of protection.”
Most defendants have now been served, marking an important step forward. The Complaint filed establishes the basis for federal rights claims.
According to the National Center for State Courts, 1.3 million adults live under guardianships or conservatorships controlling roughly $50 billion in assets. Advocates warn that women and minorities are disproportionately targeted. Congressional reports and high-profile cases, including Britney Spears’s conservatorship, have documented widespread abuse.
“If a high-profile figure like Wendy Williams can be stripped of her basic freedoms, it underscores how urgently reform is needed to protect all Americans,” added Thomas.
SOURCE Miami Entertainment Law Group
