Sabrina Morrissey, former talk show host Wendy Williams' legal guardian, has taken legal action against A&E Television Networks, Lifetime, EOne Productions, Creature Films, and executive producer Mark Ford on September 16. This marks the second lawsuit she has filed. Morrissey was appointed as Williams' legal guardian due to the former's ongoing health and financial struggles.
She's accusing the media company of unauthorized use of Williams' likeness and story for profit. The legal battle comes in the wake of the documentary, Where Is Wendy Williams?, which came out in February 2024. It revolves around the life of the former host, as she navigates the guardianship system. Morrissey initially tried to stop the show from airing in court, but it proved futile.
Who is Sabrina Morrissey, Wendy Williams' legal guardian?
In May 2022, Wells Fargo deemed Wendy Williams "incapacitated," and so, the bank appealed to the courts for guardianship. Sabrina Morrissey was then appointed to help out in financial decision-making. However, her identity only came out this year, when she filed the first lawsuit against A&E Television Networks.
According to The New York Women's Bar Association website, Morrissey is a lawyer from New York and a member of the Morrissey LLP. Her main focus rests on her solo practice, which caters to trusts and estates law, guardianships, and small corporation matters. The website also states that she is on the Part 36 List as a Special Referee, Guardian, Guardian ad Litem, Court Evaluator, and Attorney for Alleged Incapacitated Persons.
"Sabrina enjoys her work with the elderly, those with mental and physical disabilities, and their families. She is AV Rated by Martindale Hubbell by both peers and the judiciary for having the highest levels of integrity and skill."
The website also details the many roles she served under as part of the New York Women’s Bar Association, including Vice President, Treasurer, Recording Secretary, and a member of the Board of Director. Furthermore, Morrissey once served as the Co-Chair of the NYWBA Elder Law and Disabilities Committee and Co-Chair of the WBASNY Elder Law and Trusts & Estates Committee.
Wendy Williams' guardian contends that she was "clearly incapable" of consenting to be filmed
In the complaint, which spans 75 pages, People reported:
"As is patently obvious from the very first few minutes of the Program itself, W.W.H. was highly vulnerable and clearly incapable of consenting to being filmed, much less humiliated and exploited. When the Guardian discovered that Defendants’ true intentions were to portray W.W.H. in a highly demeaning and embarrassing manner, she immediately sought to protect and to preserve her dignity. But the defendants fought to move ahead... without a valid contract and released without the Guardian's consent."
Per the Hollywood Reporter, the complaint also contends that
"This is a paltry sum for the use of highly invasive, humiliating footage that portrayed her in the confusing throes of dementia, while Defendants, who have profited on the streaming of the Program have likely already earned millions."
According to her, Williams was only paid $82,000 for her work on the project. Furthermore, Morrisey contended that Williams' signature seen on the documents that permit the production of the series "does not appear to be genuine” and there is “no evidence” that the host signed it herself on January 25, 2023.
The first lawsuit Morrissey filed against A&E Networks was in February when she argued that the company wasn't valid in its capacity to shoot the documentary. She contended that Williams wasn't in the right state of mind to consent to anything, participation or otherwise, at the time. Furthermore, according to her, the document was simply exploiting her illness for personal gain, capitalizing on her inability to act in the right frame of mind.
Morrissey was Williams’ temporary guardian at the time. Allegedly, the former talk show host was under the belief that the documentary would be “positive and beneficial” to her reputation, the outlet reported. According to the lawsuit, she was "incapacitated and unable to consent at the time the Contract or its amendments were executed, even if she had signed it (which she did not)."
However, according to A&E's attorneys,
"only after seeing the Documentary’s trailer and realizing her role in [Wendy Williams ] life may be criticized did Ms. Morrissey enlist the courts to unconstitutionally silence that criticism.”
Morrissey is seeking restitution for the following: unspecified compensatory and punitive damages, disgorgement of proceeds from the documentary project, and an injunction prohibiting additional airings of it. She is also seeking a declaration from the court that renders Williams' contract null and void.
“The profits from the Program should go to Wendy Williams, who will need significant funding to provide for proper medical care and supervision for the rest of her life.”
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Earlier this year, it was revealed that Wendy Williams suffers from primary progressive aphasia and frontotemporal dementia. Apart from her participation in the documentary, Where is Wendy Williams?, she also held the title of executive producer.
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