The only child of "Star Trek" actress Nichelle Nichols has dropped his half of the dueling litigation between him and his mother's former manager, whom the son accused of elder abuse and undue influence.
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An attorney for the late actress' 74-year-old son, Kyle Johnson, filed court papers on Wednesday with Los Angeles Superior Court Judge Tony L. Richardson asking that the case be dismissed "with prejudice," meaning it cannot be refiled. The court papers do not state if a settlement was reached with the former manager, Gilbert Bell, or if Johnson is not pursuing the case for other reasons.
Bell filed a Chapter 7 bankruptcy petition in federal court in October 2024 and the judge put an automatic stay on the litigation.
Nichols was 89 years old when she died in New Mexico in July 2022. She portrayed Lt. Uhura, a translator and communications officer aboard the USS Enterprise in the "Star Trek" series that ran on NBC from 1966-69, and who also appeared in some of the later "Star Trek" movies.
Johnson served during his mother's final years as her full-time caregiver and the conservator of her person and estate.
Bell initiated the litigation between himself and Johnson. According to his suit filed in July 2019, he became Nichols' manager in 2009 and she insisted he move into the guesthouse on the same property as her Woodland Hills home, at a monthly rent of $300. Bell often prepared dinner for both of them and they celebrated birthdays together, Bell's suit states.
Bell alleges Johnson was wrongfully trying to remove both Bell and Nichols from their homes at the time so that he could sell the property. The allegations in Bell's suit include assault, intentional infliction of emotional distress, denial of utility services, elder abuse and breach of contract.
Bell alleged that after Johnson moved in with his mother, he fired her caregiver, her personal assistant and her accountant while also isolating the actress from her friends.
Johnson countersued Bell in August 2020, alleging elder abuse, negligence and both intentional and negligent infliction of emotional distress. The countersuit accused Bell of "consistent ... and callous conduct," alleging he "took advantage of a highly respected woman when she was vulnerable" and continued to do so as her health declined. Before Nichols died, a judge found that the actress, who suffered a stroke in 2015, had dementia.
Johnson alleged Bell exerted influence and assumed control over Nichols' assets and personal life by telling the actress lies, fabricating documents and establishing legal entities controlled by Bell in order to profit from her personal affairs.
When Johnson was named his mother's conservator, she had been close to financial ruin due to Bell's alleged wrongful actions and was in danger of being forced to move into an institutional setting, the countersuit states.
Bell was hospitalized in 2019 for high blood pressure, chest pains and stress caused by Johnson's intimidating behavior, which has included a threat to kill him while holding Nichols's cane, the suit alleged.
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