Kevin Hunter, the ex-husband of former daytime talk show host Wendy Williams, has suffered a major legal setback in his ongoing $7 million wrongful termination lawsuit against the producers of The Wendy Williams Show.
According to The Blast, the United States Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit ruled on April 8 to vacate a previous win for Hunter, siding instead with the show’s production company, Debmar-Mercury, and its executives Ira Bernstein and Mort Marcus.
Hunter originally filed the lawsuit in 2023, claiming he was wrongfully terminated by Debmar-Mercury following his divorce from Wendy Williams. He alleged that his dismissal from his role as an executive producer on the show amounted to discrimination based on his “marital status.”
However, the appeals court drew from a precedent-setting case that clarified how “marital status” is defined legally. According to the court, the term refers broadly to whether someone is married—not the specific details or circumstances of a particular marriage. Because Hunter’s claims focused on his individual relationship to Wendy Williams, rather than his general status as a married or unmarried person, the court ruled that his argument did not fall within protected grounds.
As a result, the higher court overturned the earlier decision that had denied Debmar-Mercury’s request to dismiss the case. The lawsuit has now been remanded back to the lower court for further proceedings, but with this ruling, the legal road ahead for Hunter has become significantly steeper.
The ruling comes as Wendy Williams’ personal and legal battles have continued to make headlines, and this latest development adds another layer to the high-profile saga involving her former husband and longtime business associate.
Though the case isn’t entirely dismissed, this appeals court decision marks a notable blow to Kevin Hunter’s multi-million-dollar legal pursuit. Stay tuned as the lower court revisits the case.