Key Takeaways
- Stevie Wonder’s former fiancée Carmen Efferson is fighting his eviction lawsuit and asking a judge to order repairs to alleged leaks, damaged walls and faulty plumbing in her Los Angeles home.
- Efferson, who has lived there rent-free since 1988, says Wonder verbally promised her the house, while his lawsuit describes the arrangement as an “at-will license.”
- Wonder’s attorneys say Efferson repeatedly blocked an insurance inspection, prompting the insurer to cancel coverage and Wonder to terminate her occupancy before suing for eviction, damages and legal costs.
Carmen Efferson has a response to Stevie Wonder’s attempt to evict her: Fix the house.
Wonder’s former fiancée filed court papers on Tuesday, November 3, denying his claims and asking a judge to let her remain in the Los Angeles property where she has lived rent-free since 1988. But she did not stop there: Efferson also wants Wonder ordered to repair what she describes as a badly neglected home with leaking ceilings, damaged walls, and defective plumbing.
According to TMZ, Efferson claims the property has damp or leaking ceilings and walls, holes in the walls, floors or carpeting, falling plaster, peeling paint and plumbing that leaks or does not work properly. She is demanding that the problems be addressed immediately while fighting Wonder’s request to remove her from the house.
The filing sharpens the central dispute between them: What exactly did Wonder give Efferson nearly 40 years ago? His lawsuit describes their verbal agreement as an “at-will license” allowing her to occupy the property without a written lease and at a monthly rent of $0. Efferson says the deal was much bigger than free housing—she understood that the house was hers.
“I didn’t even want the house at first—but he kept insisting,” Efferson previously said. “I’ve never been a materialistic person, and I never asked for a house. But we came to an agreement, a verbal one, that this would be my house.”
A source close to Efferson also told TMZ that she was blindsided by the lawsuit because Wonder had allegedly promised her the property.
Wonder’s attorneys say the arrangement unraveled after his team repeatedly tried to schedule an insurance inspection. Efferson refused to let the representative inside and warned in writing that she would call law enforcement if anyone attempted to enter without her permission.
His legal team responded by terminating Efferson’s right to occupy the home and ordering her to leave by Aug. 27. When she stayed, Wonder sued for eviction, damages, and legal costs.
The fight had already turned ugly before reaching court. Efferson accused one of Wonder’s attorneys of using a “racist, cold-blooded ‘white male privilege’” tone. Attorney David Huff fired back that the lawyer she criticized was neither white nor male and warned that her refusal to permit the inspection could trigger an eviction.
