Exclusive: Civil Rights Activist Who Filed $5 Mill Suit Against Steve Harvey For Harassment & More Says Harvey Is Still Threatening Her

(Xavier Collin/Image Press Agency/Splash News)

Essie Berry Said Steve Harvey Is Out To Ruin Her Life

The woman who is suing Steve Harvey for trying to destroy her life and career has begged a judge to let her have her day in court.

Essie Berry blasted Steve Harvey’s legal attempts to have her civil suit against him thrown out, calling his efforts “frivolous and calculated to delay the process,” according to Berry’s recent court filing, which was obtained by BOSSIP.

The woman said that despite the suit, Harvey has continued to harass, stalk and intimidate her – even as recently as Aug. 8 – and has gotten others to post hundreds of videos threatening her online, according to Berry’s court papers.

“The defendant, as well as his counsel, are fully aware of the fact that the plaintiff is being intimidated and bullied,” Berry’s court docs state. “They continue to leak private and confidential information on the internet, they continue to put public monetary rewards out for the location of Mrs. Berry, they continue to contact and bribe her family members for disparaging and embarrassing information.”

Berry said the harassment has gotten so bad that she’s had to seek mental health and medical treatment for the alleged abuse.

In March, Berry sued Harvey for defamation, intentional infliction of emotional distress and despicable conduct, accusing Harvey and his lawyer of using threats, intimidation and a sealed gag order to silence her and smear her good name.

Berry, the widow of “What’s Happening” sitcom star Fred “Re Run” Berry – claimed Harvey has been out to get her after she asked his ex-wife, Mary Vaughn, to participate in a reality show she’d been pitched, titled “Widows, Wives and Ex-Celebrity Wives.” But Berry said she didn’t know that Vaughn had OK’d a nondisclosure agreement as part of her divorce from Harvey that barred her from speaking about him or their life together.

Berry said once Harvey found out about the potential deal, he obtained a gag order against Berry in his divorce case from Vaughn, and accused her of being an “extortionist” and a “co-conspirator,” all in an attempt to “shatter and murder Ms. Berry’s emotional state of mind through the TX’s (sic) court with a lie for years,” according to court papers obtained by BOSSIP.

Berry said Harvey’s behavior has made her fear for her life and caused her and her family severe emotional distress. The widow said the reality show offers dried up because of Harvey’s actions, and that he’s done irreparable damage to her reputation as a civil rights activist.

Harvey fired back and claimed Berry’s suit was frivolous and an outright abuse of the justice system. He asked a judge to toss the suit, alleging that it was legally deficient and a waste of the court’s time.

But Berry said Harvey’s alleged ongoing abuse means her case being heard, not dismissed.

A judge will hear the case later this month.