Wendy Williams’ ex-husband Kevin Hunter has won a small victory in his $10 million lawsuit against the producers of The Wendy Williams Show.
A federal judge in New York ruled earlier this month that Hunter’s wrongful termination suit against production company Debmar-Mercury can move forward, The U.S. Sun reported on Sept. 9.
In a statement to the outlet, Hunter’s lawyer said his client was pleased with the decision.
“Mr. Hunter is happy that the Court denied Wendy’s producers’ motion to dismiss and that he will ultimately see his day in court,” said attorney Abe George.
“Mr. Hunter was instrumental in making The Wendy Williams Show the success that it was before it went off the air and the only reason he was terminated was because his marriage was ending with Wendy, nothing at all based on the merits of his performance,” George added.
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Hunter co-created the daytime talk show with Williams and served as an executive producer until he was fired in April 2019, a week after Williams filed for divorce amid reports Hunter recently fathered a child with his mistress.
Williams and Hunter were married 21 years and share a son.
Hunter filed his lawsuit in 2022, saying he was wrongfully terminated “on the basis of his marital status, which is barred by the New York City Human Rights Law.”
The suit, which was obtained by People, said Hunter received a notice from Debmar-Mercury co-founder Ira Bernstein saying the termination was “effective immediately.”
“As a result of Defendants’ aforesaid actions and the breach of their agreement with Hunter, the Defendants have been unjustly enriched from Plaintiff’s Executive Producer contributions to the Show, as well as enduring Product Integrations engagements Plaintiff has brought to the Show and that the Show has retained,” the lawsuit said.
The Wendy Williams Show ended in June 2022, after Williams suffered a string of health problems and missed the entire final season of the show.
