Kevin Hunter To Proceed w/ $10 Million Lawsuit Against Production Company For ‘The Wendy Williams Show’ After Scoring Win In Court
Kevin Hunter To Proceed w/ $10 Million Lawsuit Against Production Company For ‘The Wendy Williams Show‘ After Scoring Win In Court
Wendy Williams’ ex-husband Kevin Hunter has taken a step in the right direction amid his lawsuit against the producers of “The Wendy Williams Show.”
According to RadarOnline, Kevin Hunter secured a major win in his court battle after a New York federal judge ruled against Debmar-Mercury — the production company that produced the daytime talk show “The Wendy Williams Show” — and its founders, Ira Bernstein and Mort Marcus.
Last year, Kevin Hunter sued the production company, claiming that he was wrongfully terminated from his role as an executive producer on “The Wendy Williams Show” after the talk show host filed for divorce and accused him of cheating in 2019. At the time, the TV producer was ultimately let go because of his alleged affair with a woman named Sharina Hudson. Thankfully for Kevin, however, the judge’s recent ruling denied the TV company’s attempt to dismiss his lawsuit.
The suit read,
“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.”
In his suit, Kevin alleged that he represented Wendy Williams in 2007 during negotiations for the popular talk show. The series was given a 6-week trial, which was a hit, and reportedly aired its first official episode in 2008.
The suit stated,
“[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.”
In addition to that, Kevin claimed he originated Wendy’s famous segments “Hot Topics” and “Shoe Cam.” He also said his contributed work included the final say on guests, marketing plans to boost ratings, building contacts in the media, assistance with reaching the show’s target audience and implementing security procedures for his ex-wife.
Kevin even accused the producers of planning to use elements from “The Wendy Williams Show” on their new talk show with Sherri Shepherd, a move that he said breaks New York law.
As a result of the suit, Debmar-Mercury denied they discriminated against Kevin or that he was wrongfully terminated. They argued that New York law prohibits an employer from discriminating against a potential employee based on their marital status.
According to the defendants,
“[Hunter’s] claim warrants dismissal because his marriage to Williams, in particular, is not a protected characteristic.”
A hearing for the case is set for later this month.
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