Stevie Wonder sues to evict a rumored ex-fiancée from the Los Angeles home she has lived in rent-free since 1988

Stevie Wonder has gone to court to force a woman described as a former girlfriend out of a Los Angeles home he owns, where she has lived without paying rent for close to 40 years.

The 76-year-old music legend filed a lawsuit seeking to evict Carmen Efferson. She moved into the property in July 1988 under a spoken arrangement with the singer. There was never a written lease and she has paid nothing in rent.

Rumors have long held that Wonder and Efferson were once engaged. The singer has been married to Tomeeka Robyn Bracy since 2017. His earlier marriages were to Syreeta Wright from 1970 to 1972 and to Kai Millard from 2001 to 2015.

An insurance inspection that never happened

According to the filing, people working for Wonder tried several times to get inside the house so it could be inspected for insurance purposes. Each time Efferson would not let them in, his side says.

Wonder's lawyers argue that being shut out put the home's insurance coverage at risk. That led them to serve Efferson with a formal eviction notice in July 2026. She was supposed to leave by Aug. 27 but she is still living there, which prompted the suit.

A heated exchange over race

Messages between Efferson and the singer's legal team grew tense. At one point she accused one of the attorneys of showing "racist cold-blooded 'white male privilege.'" Wonder's team answered that the lawyer in question is neither white nor a man.

Wonder is asking a judge to order Efferson to leave the property. He also wants damages plus the money he has spent on lawyers.

Still on the road

The legal fight comes as the Grammy winner tours to mark 50 years of "Songs in the Key of Life." He is playing the 1976 album from start to finish at every stop on a run through Europe and North America.

The European dates end Nov. 11 in Glasgow, Scotland. The tour then reaches the U.S. with a Nov. 19 show at Madison Square Garden in New York City. Stops in Chicago and Detroit follow before the final concert in Inglewood, California.