Stevie Wonder has filed an eviction lawsuit against Carmen Efferson, a former fiancée who has allegedly lived rent-free in a Los Angeles property he owns since July 1988. According to court documents, the arrangement was never put in writing, and Efferson reportedly paid a monthly rent of $0 for nearly four decades.
The lawsuit, according to TMZ, says Wonder's team tried several times over the summer to access the property for an insurance inspection, but Efferson allegedly refused to let anyone inside. Wonder's lawyers said in the suit that the lack of access jeopardized the property's insurance coverage, prompting them to send Efferson a notice in July terminating her right to stay there.
Deadline Came and Went
Court documents say Efferson was supposed to be out of the home by August 27, but she remained there past that date, according to the lawsuit. Wonder is now asking a judge to order her out of the house, and he's also seeking damages and legal costs, the outlet's report states.
A notice to leave does not itself authorize a lockout in California. An eviction, formally called an unlawful detainer, is a court case: the judge decides whether the owner is entitled to possession, and a sheriff carries out an eviction only after a court issues a writ. The state court’s eviction guide says landlords cannot use self-help measures such as changing locks or removing belongings to force someone out.
The legal fight has also turned contentious outside the courtroom. Per the lawsuit, Efferson sent an email accusing an attorney involved in the case of using what she described as a racist, cold-blooded white male privilege tone, and she demanded he stop contacting her.
Attorney Pushes Back on Accusation
Attorney David Huff responded to that accusation by noting that the lawyer who originally contacted Efferson was neither white nor male, the lawsuit indicates. Huff, who said his grandfather was a civil rights hero, had also warned Efferson that refusing the inspection could lead to eviction, according to the filing.
The legal status of a person living in a home without a written agreement can matter: California’s Tenant Protection Act covers most residential tenants after 12 months, with specified exemptions, and state law allows some cities to add protections. The California attorney general’s tenant guidance describes the law’s just-cause rules, including limits on evictions for covered tenants. Whether those protections apply here depends on the facts and any applicable exemptions; the filing’s description of the arrangement does not itself settle that question.
Wonder and Efferson were reportedly engaged in the late 1980s, around the time she is said to have moved into the home. The singer has since married his third wife, Tomeeka Robyn Bracy, in 2017.
