Former CEO Caroline Wanga Files Defamation Lawsuit Against Essence Ventures And Parent Company Sundial Media & Technology Group – AfroTech

Former Essence Ventures (EV) CEO Caroline Wanga has filed a defamation lawsuit against the organization and its parent company, Sundial Media & Technology Group (Sundial).

The lawsuit, filed in a New York state court, alleges that EV and Sundial failed to publicly clarify that Wanga, who served as CEO of Essence Ventures from June 2020 until March 2025, was not involved in planning or executing the 2025 Essence Festival of Culture®, according to a press release.

Lead counsel Larry Schaefer of the Minneapolis-based law firm Schaefer Halleen said in the release that Wanga had repeatedly requested that her lack of involvement in the festival’s planning or execution be announced amid public criticism and alleged threats directed at Wanga and her family.

The press release alleges that Wanga was portrayed as responsible for the festival’s “Pan-African” focus and for selecting corporate sponsors. It also mentioned that Wanga had been on leave as Essence Ventures CEO since September 2024 and that on March 31, 2025, she officially exited her post altogether. She was allegedly advised by EV and Sundial leadership to announce her departure after the festival concluded, and her legal counsel allegedly agreed.

Wanga and her counsel claim they requested a public statement be released by Founder and Executive Chairman of Sundial Media & Technology Group Richelieu Dennis and CEO of Sundial Media & Technology Group Kirk McDonald to “correct the record and stop the blaming and backlash against Ms. Wanga,” per the release.

The press release notes that Dennis and McDonald declined to issue the statement and delayed making a formal announcement until nearly two months after the festival.

“This statement did not specifically correct the widely-held view that Ms. Wanga had made or influenced the decisions which negatively impacted the festival and the ESSENCE brand. The statement thus appeared to condone this false narrative,” the press release read.

It was also noted that Wanga’s reputation was “destroyed” and her consulting venture, WangaWoman, was harmed financially, with customers cancelling orders and potential business partnerships disappearing.

“The lawsuit is being brought to hold Essence Ventures and Sundial leadership, including Richelieu Dennis and Kirk McDonald, to account for allowing a false public narrative to destroy Ms. Wanga’s reputation,” explained Mr. Schaefer in the press release. “Essence Ventures and Sundial are supposed to be about elevating Black business and leadership, but this sad story demonstrates that when a scapegoat was useful, Black empowerment went out the window.”

ESSENCE also released a statement on LinkedIn.

“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,” a portion of the statement read. “However, notwithstanding any obligation to make such a statement, ESSENCE immediately made clear that she was not involved. For more than 30 years, we have shown up and done the work to build, protect, and elevate the ESSENCE Festival of Culture, because it belongs to something larger than any one person or moment … The timing of this complaint, a few weeks before our festival, is not lost on us. We have supported Ms. Wanga on her journey, and the facts will reflect that.”