Stevie Wonder Sues Longtime Occupant of His Hollywood Hills House
Stevie Wonder has sued Carmen Efferson to force her out of a house he owns in the Hollywood Hills, Billboard reported. He filed the suit on Oct. 22, asking a court to order her removal from the three-bedroom home.
Efferson has lived in the house since July 1988, according to TMZ. Billboard reports that she has stayed rent-free for 38 years under an oral agreement, meaning a deal made by word of mouth rather than on paper. TMZ says there was no written lease, and that the verbal arrangement set her monthly rent at $0.
The dispute centres on an insurance check. Wonder's representatives tried three times in July to enter the house to inspect it for a property insurance renewal, Billboard reports. Efferson refused to let the inspectors in. In a July email to Wonder's lawyer, David Huff, she said she did not consent to entry into the place where she lives.
Wonder's lawyers then served her with several legal notices. Each warned that they would seek eviction if she did not allow the inspectors access.
The suit is a claim for unlawful detainer, a legal action to remove someone who is staying on property without the right to do so. It also seeks $600 in damages. The filing alleges that Efferson's conduct caused the home's property insurance to lapse. These are allegations in a lawsuit, and no court has ruled on them.
Wonder, whose real name is Stevland Morris, has long been one of the best-known voices in pop and soul. Efferson's own name appears in the credits of his work. She was credited as a producer of the music video for "Get It," the 1988 collaboration between Wonder and Michael Jackson. Billboard reports that the two never married. TMZ and Yahoo Entertainment describe Efferson as Wonder's former partner and alleged ex-girlfriend.
Neither side has yet made a court finding on the claims, and the case is at an early stage. For now, the story is a dispute over access to a home, a missed insurance inspection and a lawsuit asking a court to decide who can stay there.
