Wendy Williams Permitted to Leave Senior Living Facility
Wendy Williams has intensified her requests to be relieved of a confining guardianship, which she says, “controls every aspect” of her life since being placed in it three years ago. On March 10th, Wendy penned a note that said, “Help! Wendy!” and held it to the window of the luxury high-rise senior-living facility she was captive in. This prompted police and medical personnel to call an ambulance and wheel her away for further assessment.
After being briefly hospitalized, Williams returned to her unit at the Coterie Hudson Yards assisted-living and memory-care facility. Not backing down from her demands for more independence, she vocalized her frustration to The View last Friday, when she said that her guardian needs to “get off my neck.”
New York estate and guardianship attorney, Sabrina Morrissey, is Williams’ court-appointed guardian. Her attorney profile states that she is “passionate about representing elderly clients and protecting them from fraud and abuse.” But Williams wants a different guardian as a result of the numerous freedoms taken from her by Morrissey, she says. Williams called into TMZ on February 12th and said among other things, that she was not allowed to go out, nor have visitors. And that she had to call people because they could not call her – the irony being that she was not regularly granted access to her phone or iPad – to call anyone.
Alex Finnie, Williams’ niece, told TMZ that the assisted-living facility called the police on her for taking Williams out to dinner following her hospital release on March 12th. Williams shared with The View two days after the release, that she passed a mental health evaluation “with flying colors” during her hospital stay.
However, Williams’ guardian challenged the result and according to court papers, requested that a “qualified expert” conduct a supplemental medical evaluation to determine her capacity. Federal judge Ronnie Abrams subsequently gave the parties until June to get the medical evaluation done.
Williams now 60, tasted sweet freedom on Monday after being granted release from the luxury assisted-living facility, which has been like a prison for her. When asked if the emergency petitions she filed resulted favorably for her in Judge Lisa Sokoloff’s courtroom Wendy replied, “It did.” She has a battle ahead of her but can smile now, after reclaiming control of her life.
