Terry McMillan Sues Ex-Husband for $40 Million

Terry McMillan is suing her ex-husband for $40 million, claiming that he ruined her reputation during their 2005 divorce.

McMillan, 55, whose best-selling book How Stella Got Her Groove Back is about a May-December romance, divorced Jonathan Plummer, 32, after he disclosed that he was gay.

The author – who famously confronted her ex on Oprah in 2005 – claimed their marriage was "based on deceit" and accused the native Jamaican of marrying her for money and U.S. citizenship.

Besides Plummer, McMillan is also suing his lawyer, Dolores Sargent, for allegedly tarnishing her reputation, the Associated Press reports.

"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 also alleges invasion of privacy and claims that Plummer violated a restraining order when he called her to speak to her son, according to the AP.

Their marriage apparently inspired Stella, a 1996 bestseller, about a 40-something woman who falls in love with a man half her age. When McMillan and Plummer first met in Negril, she was 43 and he was 20. The book was later turned into a movie starring Taye Diggs and Angela Bassett.

But after six years, their marriage fell apart.

"I have never felt such betrayal," the author told PEOPLE at the time. "I have never experienced that kind of pain, except for death. And what has happened is a death."

When she confronted Plummer on Oprah, she told him: "You didn't say anything about being gay. You said everything but that."

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

When reached by the AP, none of the parties would comment about the lawsuit.

Re: Terry McMillan Sues Ex-Husband for $40 Million

Hmmm, good luck getting money from him moron...isn't he completely broke?! Wasn't that the point of marrying you?!

Re: Terry McMillan Sues Ex-Husband for $40 Million

Posted by Eva Luna

Hmmm, good luck getting money from him moron...isn't he completely broke?! Wasn't that the point of marrying you?!

Re: Terry McMillan Sues Ex-Husband for $40 Million

She didn't seem to have a problem discussing her romance/relationship with him in a book and movie...now she's embarrassed

Thats what you get for thinking a 20 year old wants anything more from you than a fling and a green card

Re: Terry McMillan Sues Ex-Husband for $40 Million

Posted by BellaPaige

Posted by Eva Luna

Hmmm, good luck getting money from him moron...isn't he completely broke?! Wasn't that the point of marrying you?!

Exactly!! I don't understand how she did not know that he was gay. I remember the first time I saw him and her on tv I told my Dh he was gay. You can look at the guy and see he was not straight at all. I guess she was too in love to see that.

Re: Terry McMillan Sues Ex-Husband for $40 Million

Posted by Eva Luna

Posted by BellaPaige

Posted by Eva Luna

Hmmm, good luck getting money from him moron...isn't he completely broke?! Wasn't that the point of marrying you?!

Exactly!! I don't understand how she did not know that he was gay. I remember the first time I saw him and her on tv I told my Dh he was gay. You can look at the guy and see he was not straight at all. I guess she was too in love to see that.

Seriously...hmmm, the eyebrows being a lot more defined (and plucked) than mine would have given it away...or the short shorts (I'm sure the movie was true to life) or the girl necklaces he liked to wear...

Re: Terry McMillan Sues Ex-Husband for $40 Million

Just stop this and write "How Stella Got Her Groove Back 2".