Cleopatra Singleton, filmmaker John Singleton’s adult daughter, claimed in a court filing Friday that her father is “not in a coma” and that her grandmother, Sheila Ward, is “misrepresenting” his medical condition.
According to court documents obtained by TheWrap, Cleopatra Singleton opposes Ward’s petition to be named conservator of her father and his estate, calling Ward’s behavior toward Singleton and his children “disturbing.” She further said that in a family meeting with doctors two days ago, she was told her father’s condition is “progressing every day” and he could be out of the ICU within five days.
“My father is breathing on his own. He is only medically sedated to keep his blood pressure low and allow the vessels in his brain t0 heal,” Cleopatra Singleton wrote. “My father responds to stimuli and has even smiled on many occasions.”
Cleopatra Singleton believed that it would be a conflict of interest if her grandmother, who is also Singleton’s personal and business manager, would be “in control of both his medical and business affairs.”
“She has abused this position particularly pertaining to the support of his children,” her filing states. “Sadly my father’s allowed his mother to stay in that position out of fear and obligation to her as she’s bullied and abandoned my father since he was small child, leaving him emotionally defenseless. She had already stated that she plans to liquidate his assets immediately and leave his children with nothing, even to go as far as to sell his house and remove his girlfriend and infant son the premises.”
Cleopatra Singleton recommends that her older brother Maasai or her grandfather Danny be named conservator of her father and his estate instead of Ward.
A representative for Singleton did not immediately reply to a request for comment.
On Thursday, Ward filed court documents that claimed Singleton had suffered a “major stroke” and was in a coma, a claim that conflicted with an earlier statement from Singleton’s family that he had only suffered a minor stroke.
According to the papers, Ward claimed that Singleton was engaged in several business projects and was prepared to sign a lucrative settlement agreement on or about April 30, 2019 “at the time of his stroke.” Ward added that Singleton’s estate will suffer “substantial financial loss” if a temporary conservator is not in place to execute the settlement agreement.
Singleton is the Oscar-nominated director of “Boyz n the Hood,” “Shaft” (2000) and “2 Fast 2 Furious.”