After parts of the new Wendy Williams documentary was released on lifetime it has a lot folks questioning her guardianship. As we previously reported, the legendary talk show host was placed under a financial guardianship back in 2022 after Wells Fargo petitioned the courts, claiming the radio and TV personality was an “incapacitated person” and the “victim of undue influence and financial exploitation.”
Williams’ guardian has publicly been identified as attorney Sabrina Morrissey, she was appointed to be Williams’ guardian by a judge named Lisa Sokoloff. Now after folks on social media digged up some information on that judge who ruled on Williams’ case, some shocking information came out of it. According to an article written by ABC7NY, back in January 2023, Sokoloff was previously investigated for awarding people guardianship appointments for people who donated to her campaign. The report states, “Manhattan judge Judge Lisa Sokoloff received $5,720 in campaign donations from 2019-2022 from 20 guardianship lawyers, law firms or people who deal in guardianship cases and awarded those same people or law firms 62 appointments in 2022.”
RELATED: DJ Boof Reacts To News About Wendy Williams’ Health:“She Needs Help”
For example one random lawyer who donated to her was Paul Mederos, according to the report. In 2022, he donated $1,000 to Sokoloff’s election campaign. Sokoloff gave Mederos seven guardianship appointments during that year. Many might wonder how that wasn’t a conflict of interest, well, Mederos previously spoke with Eyewitness News and claimed that his $1,000 donation was not a conflict because he has known Sokoloff for 29 years and has always supported her career. Now it’s not reported if Wendy’s current guardian has ever donated to Sokoloff’s campaign, but it is some shocking details that some people on social media feeling like something could’ve been shady.
During the shocking two part series of the Wendy documentary, her son, Kevin Hunter Jr claimed that the accusation against his mom came from purchases he made while his mother was in his family’s care in Miami, Florida, from the fall of 2021 until she was forced to return to New York for court proceedings regarding guardianship the following spring.
“My mom made me power of attorney because at that time the banks started accusing the family of doing things that weren’t true, and saying that my mom wasn’t fit to make choices,” he says in the film. “The court tried to frame it as though I was making all these charges for my own happiness.”
The Hollywood Reporter, has also spoke to Wells Fargo about Wendy’s guardianship and they sent a statement that read: “This matter was conducted under seal. Any claims against Wells Fargo have been dismissed.”
RELATED: Wendy Williams’ Son, Kevin Hunter Jr., Believes Mom’s Dementia Is ‘Alcohol-Induced’
“Anybody in the world can hire a lawyer to write up a petition for guardianship,” says Dimond, speaking to THR following the release of the documentary. “It can be your mad next-door neighbor or a former business partner who hates your guts. It could be a family member or your landlord. I have found owners of lots of buildings here in New York that filed for guardianship over people to get them out of their apartment. Banks, financial institutions, even hospitals.”
She continues, “Guardianships happen in a lot of ways, and some are good. If you’re worried about your dementia diagnosed mother and you say, ‘I want to have power of attorney and help her and pay her bills,’ and you go to the court and you’re named guardian, it works out just fine. But I’ve investigated this for eight years now, and I’m telling you, more and more, judges overlook the family. They just ignore them.”