Dwight Howard is navigating a complicated stretch of his personal life, and a new lawsuit has added to the pressure. Terrence Hudson, a man who says he worked for the former NBA center and his estranged wife Amber Howard, has filed a civil suit against Howard seeking compensation for unpaid wages and emotional distress. The suit was filed in December 2025 and lays out a detailed account of what Hudson says was a pattern of inconsistent and insufficient payment during his time working for the household.
Hudson describes his role as a combination of home security guard, domestic manager, and personal assistant to Howard. He says he held that position from June 25, 2025 through October 8, 2025, a period of roughly three and a half months. Hudson states he had agreed to receive $2,000 per week in compensation. According to the court documents, the actual payments he received throughout his entire employment totaled $8,137.54, a figure he says fell far short of what was owed.
What Hudson is asking for and what happened before the lawsuit
Before turning to the courts, Hudson says he attempted to resolve the situation directly. He sent a certified letter to Howard demanding payment for the outstanding balance. The request was declined, according to his account, which led him to file the suit.
Hudson is now seeking a total of $40,702.06. That figure breaks down into $30,702.06 for unpaid wages and $10,000 for emotional distress. He told reporters he has had no contact with either Howard or Amber Howard since filing the lawsuit, and Howard’s representatives had not responded to requests for comment as of the time this article was published.
Howard has faced similar accusations before
This is not the first time Howard has been taken to court by someone who worked for him. In 2020, two former female employees filed separate lawsuits against him, each seeking $50,000 in unpaid wages and damages. Those cases were eventually dismissed in 2023, but their existence gives the current lawsuit additional context. A pattern of staff-related legal disputes is something courts and the public tend to notice, regardless of how individual cases are resolved.
Howard is an eight-time NBA All-Star who spent the bulk of his career as one of the most dominant big men in the league. He won the NBA championship with the Los Angeles Lakers in 2020 and was a central figure in the Orlando Magic’s rise during the late 2000s. His post-playing reputation has been shaped as much by off-court controversies as by his accomplishments on the floor.
Howard’s marriage and divorce proceedings
The lawsuit arrives at a particularly turbulent moment. Howard recently filed for divorce from Amber Howard, who is also known publicly as Amy Luciani. In the divorce filing, Howard described the marriage as irretrievably broken and stated there was no possibility of reconciliation between the two.
The marriage itself had a complicated timeline. Howard and Amber wed in January 2025. By June of that year, Howard had already filed to end the marriage. Amber filed her own petition the following month in July 2025. Both of those filings were later dismissed, suggesting the couple had attempted to work through their difficulties before ultimately arriving at the current filing.
Hudson says his employment with the household began and ended within that same turbulent window, which adds another layer of context to the environment he was allegedly working in during those months.
Howard has not responded publicly
Neither Howard nor his legal representatives have addressed the lawsuit in any public statement. The case is moving through the courts, and Hudson says he is prepared to pursue the full amount he believes he is owed. Whether the matter settles before trial or proceeds further remains to be seen, but for Howard, it represents one more open legal matter in an already complicated year.
