Eva Marcille via Instagram Eva Marcille and husband Michael Sterling
What better way to celebrate the season finale of Real Housewives of Atlanta than with the elaborate wedding of Eva Marcille and now husband, Michael Todd Sterling. While the two officially tied the knot on October 7, 2018, fans of the Bravo reality show will get an inside look at what BET reports was a $200K affair that included three dress changes and custom made Gucci sneakers for the bride. While no cell-phones were allowed in the ballroom for the Sterlings’ big day, there were eight crew members from the RHOA team to capture the special evening for Season 11 of the series.
While Eva’s no stranger to reality TV, she was the Season 3 winner of America’s Next Top Model, Sterling’s also no stranger to having cameras in his face. The 37-year-old is a former Atlanta mayoral candidate and works a high profile attorney for his new boutique firm, Sterling Dreyer.
In addition to representing one of R. Kelly’s accusers, Asantee McGee, Sterling was part of the that represented Tiffany Haddish’s ex-husband William Stewart in his defamation suit against Haddish, her publisher Simon & Schuster, and ghostwriter Tucker Max of her memoir, “The Last Black Unicorn.”
Stewart’s legal team, which includes Sterling and his partner David Dreyer, is seeking over $1 million in damages on their client’s behalf. While Stewart’s name is not included in Haddish’s book, only referenced as her husband at the time, the comedian only has only had one husband, Stewart, who she has married and divorced twice. In the book, Haddish wrote the her ex-husband was abusive toward her for which Stewart vehemently denies.
According to the court documents obtained by the Jasmine Brand, Sterling and Dreyer said, “I know that everyone is focused on defendant Haddish, but she didn’t do this alone. The publisher, Simon & Schuster has a questionable history – they, among other things, enabled Milos Yiannopoulos after he was banned from twitter for racist hate speech against comedian Leslie Jones. Simon & Schuster’s parent company is CBS who continues to settle lawsuits for a pattern of bad behavior by executives.
“Haddish’s ghost writer is Tucker Max and his entire writing career was built on disgusting attempts to exploit, belittle and objectify women without regard. This is not just about Haddish. The defendants have disregarded principle, decency, or accuracy when there is an opportunity to profit. William Stewart is just their latest victim. And they never expected him to have the courage to take on such powerful interests.”
The court documents also includes singer Beyonce Knowles and radio host Charlemagne as witnesses. It says Beyonce “has knowledge of defendant Haddish’s propensity for lies and making up false stories for Ms. Haddish’s own personal aggrandizement, which while not explicitly stated, references the viral story Haddish shared about actress Sanaa Lathan biting the singer in the face. For Charlemagne, he has the “knowledge of the public contempt and ridicule William Stewart suffered.”
In December 2018, Sterling and Dreyer won the first round of hearings. The court ruled against Haddish and her co-defendants and allowed Stewart to pursue punitive damages. Later in July 2018, in court papers obtained by The Blast revealed Sterling and his legal partner Dreyer revealed “we have information that will demonstrate Ms. Haddish regularly requested Mr. Stewart to become more aggressive with her during sex, including, among other things, to choke her as a part of their sexual intercourse… Mr. Stewart did not commit criminal domestic violence, nor did he abuse Tiffany Haddish during their marriage. He did not abandon his daughter. These assertions can never be unsaid and Mr. Stewart’s reputation has been irreparably damaged.”
The case is still ongoing.
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