76-year-old singer and songwriter Stevie Wonder is suing his former fiancée to make her leave a house she has lived in for free for almost 38 years. The whole fight started over a simple insurance check.
Carmen Efferson has lived rent-free since 1988
Carmen Efferson moved into Wonder’s three-bedroom house in the Hollywood Hills in July 1988. The two only had a spoken agreement. There was no written lease, and she paid zero rent. They were engaged around that time. The relationship ended, but she stayed in the house for decades.
Stevie Wonder eviction lawsuit over insurance inspection
In July 2026, Wonder’s team needed to inspect the house so the insurance could be renewed. Efferson would not let anyone inside.
She emailed the lawyers and wrote: “Please refrain from your racist, cold-blooded ‘white male privilege’ tone. I am feeling harassed. Regarding your ORDERS of entering into the place where I am living, I do not consent. Do not make any attempt to make any kind of contact with me.”
She also told them to “fuck the fuck off.”
Angela McAfee says Stevie Wonder talked her into quitting her job and moving into his estate. Five years later she sued him for $30 million.
Back in August 1996, she says, he promised to be the only one earning money. Nothing was signed, it was all verbal.
They stopped living together in February 2001. By October she had filed a palimony suit in Los Angeles, saying he’d promised to support her for life. She also accused him of giving her an STD.
Wonder’s lawyer, Laura Wasser, answered with: "Since he does not have herpes, one can only wonder where she contracted the disease." She also called the suit "without merit."
I couldn’t find any verdict or settlement reported.
Wonder is back in court this week over a different handshake arrangement. He’s suing to evict Carmen Efferson from his Hollywood Hills house, where she has lived since 1988 with no lease and no rent. He wants $600 in damages.
In the video below, Wonder gives his advice for a good relationship.
No contract, only a promise. Who should win?
— Tolot (@Tolot0caw) October 23, 2026
Lawyer David Huff replied that the person who first wrote to her “was not me. It was my law partner, Tempestt Tatum, who is neither racist, cold-blooded, white nor male.”
Later Efferson wrote: “You do not have my permission to step onto the property for any reason. If you or any other representatives attempt to enter my home or trespass on the property, I will immediately contact law enforcement.”
After she kept blocking the inspection, Wonder’s lawyers told her she had to move out by August 27. She stayed. The insurance on the house ran out in early August.
Hollywood Hills home and $600 damages claim
Wonder is now asking a judge to remove her and to make her pay $600. That is the amount linked to the lapsed insurance. The court papers call her continued stay “malicious and obstructive behavior.”
For nearly 38 years, she lived in the house without paying rent. Now the only money being asked for is $600. Everything rests on a verbal deal made in 1988.
Wonder, 76, is currently touring to mark 50 years of his album Songs in the Key of Life. He has been married to Tomeeka Robyn Bracy since 2017. The free housing arrangement with Efferson continued through his later relationships.
The case is in Los Angeles Superior Court. A judge will decide if a spoken promise from almost 40 years ago can still keep her in the house after she refused the insurance inspection.
This is how a simple oral agreement lasted longer than most marriages — until one routine inspection ended it.
Related posts:
Social Security 2027 COLA Forecast Rises to 3.5%–3.6%, Above This Year’s Raise
Housing Affordability Law Takes Effect: What the New 21st Century ROAD to Housing Act Means for Buyers
Trump’s Pakistan Crypto Deal: Inside the $1 Billion World Liberty Financial Connection
12,000‑Year‑Old Dice Unearthed: The World’s First Casino
Netflix to Buy Warner Bros. Film and Streaming Assets in $72 Billion Deal
Veterans Day Deals 2025: Free Meals Flood Restaurants As Big Chains Honor Service Members
Leave a Reply