*A defamation lawsuit filed by Caroline Wanga accuses ESSENCE Ventures and its parent company, Sundial Media & Technology Group, of allowing festival-related criticism to damage her reputation, business, and personal life, WWLTV reports.
The former ESSENCE Ventures CEO alleges that people blamed her for problems tied to the festival even though she had no role in planning or operating the event. She says the backlash harmed her consulting business and escalated to threats directed at her and her family members.
According to the lawsuit, criticism extended beyond the festival itself. Wanga alleges some people targeted her because she is Kenyan. The complaint states that critics accused her of “erasing Black American heritage” at the festival and told her to “go back to Africa.” She further alleges, “Essence Ventures was silent amidst the ongoing backlash against Ms. Wanga.”
At the center of the dispute is Wanga’s claim that she had no involvement in the 2025 ESSENCE Festival. Wanga says she had been on leave since September 2024 and reached an agreement to leave the company on March 31, 2025. By the time the festival took place in July, she was no longer with ESSENCE, although the company had not yet publicly announced her departure. The complaint states she was “not involved with the Festival in any capacity.”
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The festival later drew criticism over production issues, its relationship with Target, and expanded Pan-African programming. Lauryn Hill’s appearance became a focal point of those complaints. The lawsuit attributes her delayed performance to “poor planning and time management.”
Wanga alleges she sought a public clarification from the company on multiple occasions. She says her team prepared a joint statement that would have explicitly stated she played no role in organizing or managing the festival. Instead, the lawsuit claims, ESSENCE released a departure announcement that omitted those details.
ESSENCE disputes the allegations. The company said it intends to “defend itself against these baseless claims.”
In a statement, ESSENCE said, “The core allegation in the complaint is that ESSENCE failed to correct that Ms. Wanga was not directly involved in ESSENCE Festival of Culture 2025®. However, notwithstanding any obligation to make such a statement, ESSENCE immediately made clear that she was not involved.”
MORE NEWS ON EURWEB.COM: Caroline Wanga Steps Down as Essence Ventures CEO Amid Health Leave and Festival Challenges
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