John Singleton’s Family Fights in Court Over Filmmaker’s Health and Estate

The daughter of John Singleton is disputing her grandmother’s claim that the director is in a coma.

In a court filing Friday in Los Angeles Superior Court, Cleopatra Singleton opposed Sheila Ward’s request to be named temporary conservator of Singleton and his estate, saying Ward is “misrepresenting” the director’s condition, according to court documents obtained by People magazine.

“My father is not in a coma,” Cleopatra Singleton, 19, wrote in her legal filing. She added that while doctors “do not have a concrete diagnosis, my dad is progressing every day… he is only medically sedated to keep his blood pressure low and allow the vessels in his brain to heal.”

Read More: John Singleton in Coma After Suffering ‘Major Stroke’

Cleopatra went on to call her grandmother’s behavior “disturbing,” as Ward seeks to become the director’s conservator and make financial and medical decisions on his behalf.

“My grandmother’s intentions toward my father and his children are disturbing,” Cleopatra wrote in her filing. “She cannot be conservator of his person or his estate.”

Cleopatra said appointing Ward as the filmmaker’s conservator would pose a conflict of interest, because she is already his  business manager and would be “in control of both his medical and business affairs.”

“She has abused this position particularly pertaining to the support of his children,” her filing states.

Cleopatra instead recommended that her older brother or her grandfather be named conservator.

Her court filing came one day after Ward submitted an application to be named the director’s temporary conservator stating he suffered a “major stroke” and “is currently hospitalized in a coma and is unable to provide for his personal needs.”

Singleton is perhaps best known for directing the 1991 film Boyz n the Hood, which earned two Oscar nominations –- best director and best original screenplay — making him the youngest director ever nominated for an Academy Award. He is also co-creator of the FX series Snowfall.