Terry McMillan Sues Ex for $40 Million

Terry McMillan, 55, author of the best selling book How Stella Got Her Groove Back is suing her ex-husband, Jonathan Plummer, 32, for $40 million. She claims that he ruined her reputation when they divorced in 2005.

McMillan divorced Plummer after he divulged that he was in fact gay. This was a huge fiasco and caused a media blitz. The author confronted her ex on Oprah of all places in 2005. She claimed that the marriage was "based on deceit" and that she couldn't go on. She also accused her husband, who is a native Jamaican of marrying her for citizenship and money. He denied these claims of course, but she says she has no doubt that was a part of it.

McMillan is also suing Plummer's lawyer, Dolores Sargent as well. She claims that the lawyer also tarnished her reputation by making untrue statements about the author.

"The defendants conspired and formed a plan to threaten to humiliate and embarrass Terry McMillan and violate her privacy and place her in harm's way, and threatened to damage her professional and personal standing in an attempt to extort monies from her," the lawsuit says.

McMillan makes claims that Plummer invaded her privacy by violating a restraining order by calling to speak with his son. He had to call her to talk to his son, she alleges that this broke the restraining order.

It's been said that their marriage inspired the story for Stella, which was a best seller in 1996. The story is about a 40 year old woman who falls in love with a much younger man. When McMillan met Plummer in Negril, she was 43 and he was only 20. The book was turned into a movie which also did very well and starred Taye Diggs and Angela Bassett.

After six years of marriage, everything started to fall apart. "I have never felt such betrayal," the author said in a statement. "I have never experienced that kind of pain, except for death. And what has happened is a death."

During the famous confrontment on Oprah, she said, "You didn't say anything about being gay. You said everything but that."

"I did expect her to be upset," Plummer said. He claims to have only realized he was gay in the final two years of the marriage.

Neither party would comment on the lawsuit so we will have to wait and see how it unfolds.

Sources:
People (http://www.people.com/people/article/0,,20015708,00.html)