Harassment suit against radio host Wendy Williams

A sexual harassment lawsuit against radio personality Wendy Williams claims her husband dominated her workplace, physically abused her and repeatedly propositioned an employee.

The lawsuit, brought by talent booker and publicist Nicole Spence, also names Kevin Hunter, who is the disc jockey's husband and manager, and Inner City Broadcast Corp., which is the DJ's boss. Williams and Hunter have denied the allegations.

Williams' radio show, "The Wendy Williams Experience," is featured in a VH1 cable TV show of the same name and is syndicated on radio stations around the country.

Spence's lawsuit, filed Wednesday in federal court in Manhattan, claims Hunter screamed and cursed at Spence while she worked on "The Wendy Williams Experience" and repeatedly propositioned her, calling her late at night to tell her about his sexual fantasies.

When Spence refused his advances, the lawsuit says, the situation worsened and his sexual comments took on a more threatening tone.

Spence, who sometimes appeared on the air with Williams, claims she felt unsafe at the office after seeing Hunter physically and verbally abuse his wife.

In one instance, the lawsuit claims, he stormed into an office meeting, "pinning (his wife) against the wall with his hand around her neck, choking her while repeatedly pounding his fist into the wall directly by her head." The attack, Spence claims, was apparently prompted by Williams' failure to quit smoking.

The lawsuit, which seeks more than $5 million, claims the broadcasting company failed to respond to Spence's repeated complaints and that the defendants have illegally retaliated against her.

"We will vindicate her rights," lawyer Ken Thompson said of Spence, who continues to work on the show.

When Spence's claims first surfaced, Williams said "her allegations are totally false." Her husband said the claims were "so far from the truth. It's insane."

A phone message left with a lawyer for Inner City Broadcast seeking comment was not immediately returned Wednesday. An e-mail sent to Williams and her husband through the show's Web site also went unreturned.