Wendy Williams will be forced to undergo a deposition in an ongoing lawsuit — despite recently being diagnosed with dementia.
The 61-year-old former host of the Wendy Williams Show was ordered by a judge on September 15 to sit for a deposition by A&E Television Networks, according to documents obtained by People.
Williams was diagnosed with aphasia and frontotemporal dementia in May of 2023.
The proceedings will be a ‘de bene esse’ deposition, meaning that it is conducted in anticipation of future need, in case Williams’ health or memory should deteriorate as the case proceeds.
The deposition will be held on November 4.
The Daily Mail has reached out to Williams’ attorney, Joe Tacopina, for comment, as well as her court-appointed guardian, Sabrina Morrissey, but neither has yet responded.
A judge ruled on Monday, September 15, that Wendy Williams, 61, will have to sit for a deposition as part of a lawsuit her court-appointed guardian filed against A&E Television Networks last year, according to documents obtained by People; pictured Tuesday in NYC
The proceedings will be a ‘de bene esse’ deposition, meaning that it is conducted in anticipation of future need, in case Williams health or memory should deteriorate following her diagnosis of aphasia and frontotemporal dementia in May 2023; Williams is pictured in the trailer for Where Is Wendy Williams?
The judge reportedly ruled that Williams’ ‘condition does not insulate her from providing testimony in this case,’ and they wrote that the Federal Rules of Evidence do ‘not contain any requirement of mental ability’ for witnesses, meaning that there would be no barrier to Williams answering questions in a deposition.
‘It will be up to the jury in this case to decide what weight to give to [Williams’] deposition testimony,’ the judge reportedly wrote.
The diagnosis came one year after Wendy was placed under a court-ordered legal guardianship that oversees both her finances and health after Wells Fargo froze Williams’ accounts in 2022 as a result of her financial adviser at the time claiming that she was of ‘unsound mind.’
In February 2024, Williams’ guardian, Sabrina Morrissey, filed a lawsuit against A&E Television Networks related to the filming of the documentary Where is Wendy Williams, which aired that month.
The documentary featured shocking scenes showing the former host drinking vodka in bed and having panic attacks, leading to fan backlash against Lifetime.
Morrissey alleged in the lawsuit that A&E Television Networks, the parent company of Lifetime, the network that aired the documentary, had engaged in ‘blatant exploitation’ in ‘disgusting’ fashion.
‘This blatant exploitation of a vulnerable woman with a serious medical condition who is beloved by millions within and outside of the African American community is disgusting, and it cannot be allowed,’ the legal team for Williams’ guardian told the court, according to documents obtained by The Hollywood Reporter.
Morrissey told the court that the talk show host ‘did not have the capacity to consent,’ according to the documents, and producers did not get Morrissey’s consent, in her capacity as Williams’ court-appointed guardian, to produce it.
The judge reportedly ruled that Williams’ ‘condition does not insulate her from providing testimony in this case,’ as there is no ‘requirement of mental ability’ for witnesses, meaning that there would be no barrier to Williams answering questions in a deposition; still from Where Is Wendy Williams
In February 2024, Williams’ court-appointed guardian filed suit against Lifetime’s parent company A&E Television Networks, claiming it had exploited her with the filming of the documentary; pictured Tuesday at the LaQuan Smith fashion show for NYFW
Morrissey told the court that the talk show host ‘did not have the capacity to consent,’ according to the documents, and producers did not get Morrissey’s consent, in her capacity as Williams’ court-appointed guardian, to produce it; Williams is pictured Monday in NYC
Williams was allegedly misled by producers into thinking that the documentary would be a ‘positive and beneficial’ project for her public image and reputation, the suit stated.
In response, A&E Television Networks accused Morrissey in a countersuit of ‘exceeding her authority’ by trying to get the documentary changed and redacted.
The popular network claimed that there is no law against making a documentary about a subject with dementia.
The judge also extended a stay on legal proceedings against A&E while Williams’ guardianship is reviewed; her guardian, Sabrina Morrissey, is pictured
Therefore, according to the network, even if a talent agreement wasn’t signed, it had not done anything impermissible.
A&E brought a counter claim against Morrissey for attempting to infringe on its First Amendment rights, citing Morrissey’s original lawsuit from February 2024, in which she attempted to get a judge to stop the original documentary from being aired.
The network alleged that Morrissey had forced its production company to defend itself against ‘meritless claims’ related to the documentary.
A&E also alleged in its countersuit that Morrissey was trying to deny Williams ‘one of her last chances to exercise her autonomy and honestly reach her fans in exactly the frank and unfiltered manner that was the hallmark of her career.’
On the same day as the ruling on Williams’ deposition, the judge issued an order extending a stay on the legal proceedings against A&E to allow for a case challenging Williams’ court-instituted guardianship to be reviewed.
Although Williams is reportedly still living in an $18,000-per-month assisted living facility, she has lately been allowed to make multiple public outings to mark New York Fashion Week
On Monday, she made a splash at NYFW’s Bach Mai show, where she posed with the designer in a black minidress that was cinched around her waisted with a prominent Gucci belt
The judge ordered the parties to submit a joint letter detailing the state of the guardianship case by November 5.
The case will determine if Williams still requires a guardianship, as well as whether Morrissey should remain in that role or be replaced.
Despite her ongoing legal battles and health struggles, Williams looked jubilant when she was spotted out a day after the judge’s orders at the LaQuan Smith fashion show for New York Fashion Week.
The gossip star was seen beaming ear to ear while wearing a furry black-and-white coat and beige fishnets as she was interviewed by Extra.
Although Williams is reportedly still living in an $18,000-per-month assisted living facility, she has lately been allowed to make multiple public outings to mark New York Fashion Week.
She was previously seen glowing in a yellow jacket covered in gold sequin stripes and a matching miniskirt with a Gucci tote bag on Monday evening.
The day before, she made a splash at NYFW’s Bach Mai show, where she posed with the designer in a black minidress that was cinched around her waist with a prominent Gucci belt.
