ADIEU M' ARMOIRE
October 26th, 2007
Whit-Ash Co. linked to bizarre divorce case, other prominent figures implicated
CLARIFICATION: In Todd Morehead’s Oct. 24 article about the divorce of Harold “Whit” Black and his wife Stella, Columbia City Paper made references to “two-bit lawyers” and “corruptible attorneys.” These were not intended as references to any particular attorney in South Carolina.
There is a lot of old money in Columbia. Some of the more glaring displays of that gilded elite are tucked away where the city’s eastern edge rubs shoulders with Forest Acres. Here narrow avenues, inaccessible to thru traffic, seem to fold back on themselves through a labyrinth of rolling hills and large spotlit mansions with ornate black iron gates. People don’t ask too many questions in this neighborhood and if, say, a local furniture baron goes nuts and tacks up hidden cameras so he can spy on his estranged wife, well, that’s his business.
There’s an understanding in these big money circles that divorce is often messy and only those with the upper hand tend to walk away with the family fortune intact. The neighbors know, too, if said wife begins to throw all manner of allegations into sworn affidavits and subpoenas start to fly that it’s best to just pull the shades until it all blows over. But even this neighborhood wasn’t prepared for the bizarre divorce proceedings of Harold “Whit” Black and his wife, Stella.
By the time it was finally hauled into court last year, it had all the ingredients of a cheap detective novel: the millionaire husband of a seductive singer and the P.I. he’s paying to tail her; hidden (and possibly tax payer-funded) cameras; hacked computers; two-bit lawyers who’ll even turn on their own clients if the retainer is juicy enough; and at the heart of it all, lots of money up for grabs. The case is still in litigation, the attorneys and litigants tight-lipped, and what can’t be deduced from the public record at the courthouse is left to swirl in the air of bridge club gossip.
Presumably, Stella Black–recognizable to many as the busty brunette in the Whit-Ash Furniture commercials– had no idea that her husband had been conspiring to leave her for months. Nor, she claims, could she have known that he had fully infiltrated her music career and that her confidante and talent agent as well as her entertainment lawyer were both working clandestinely on his payroll to spy on her, according to one affidavit.
Stella was employed by Whit-Ash Furniture when, according to her testimony, Whit encouraged her to leave the business to pursue her dream: a music career in operatic pop or “Popera.” Her affidavit also alleges that Whit-Ash hired Amanda Phillips to manage her music career in 2003 and claims that the furniture company funded the bulk of her musical endeavors.
She and Black, according to testimony, claimed the related deductions on their joint income tax return as a Schedule C business. In 2004, Stella was introduced to Rebecca West, an attorney with the Masella law firm. West, according to Stella Black’s affidavit, was asked to handle the legal arm of Stella’s music career and, like Phillips, was paid by Whit.
But shortly thereafter, things in the Black household, for whatever reason, hit a sour note. Whit left in 2005, according to court documents, and filed for divorce in early 2006. Stella stayed in their Forest Drive home and pursued her music career while Whit’s private investigator, she claims, began to pursue her.
Stella Black’s affidavit repeatedly refers to a private investigator named Edwards and her pending legal malpractice suit in common pleas court against Whit-Ash names one Jim Edwards as a defendant. According to court documents, Edwards installed hidden cameras “that were secretly mounted at and around Plaintiff’s residence” in Forest Acres.
The cameras have been a hotbed of controversy, as some close to the case believe they were property of SCETV. A few prominent Columbia figures have been dragged into the controversy surrounding the cameras and were eager to clear their names and be done with it all.
For instance, former city councilman Jim Papadea’s backyard is directly adjacent to Stella’s and some allege that the spy cameras were placed in his yard with his knowledge, though those charges could not be confirmed.
Papadea never even acknowledged the existence of the cameras on his property and told City Paper they could have just been security cameras. “It might be that they were being used for something else,” he said. “Do you know what security means for someone’s house?” He then hung up.
Maurice “Moss” Bresnahan, CEO of SCETV, acknowledged that the company was subpoenaed in the case but said he does not know Whit Black personally and that SCETV had never lent out any camera equipment.
“ETV was asked to turn over some records,” he told City Paper. “We will answer the subpoena but it will be a very straight forward response.”
“That is totally a lie,” Whit Black said of the charge that he used SCETV cameras. “I think there is really someone feeding you a load of junk.” Black did confirm that he used a private investigator. In fact, it has been estimated that Black and Whit Ash paid over $100,000 to hire not just Edwards but various private detectives who followed Stella to California, France and back.
Stella claims that even her agent, Amanda Phillips, knew who really wrote the paychecks, turned on her and secretly began feeding information back to Edwards, Black and his attorneys to use against her in the pending divorce proceedings. Phillips allegedly began forwarding Stella’s private emails and secret transcripts of her meetings with attorneys to Black and his crew. Later, she claims, they set up a wide area network (WAN) that connected Whit-Ash computers to her home computer so they could have unfettered access to her hard drive and email.
Phillips also allegedly installed Spector Pro software on her laptop to capture every keystroke and create screen shots of Stella’s emails to her attorneys. And when the preliminary divorce proceedings were underway, Stella looked up to see none other than her entertainment lawyer, Rebecca West, representing Whit. She believes it had been planned all along.
“At no time did West or Masella either disclose to [Stella Black] or secure a waiver from [her] regarding simultaneous representation of Black and Whit-Ash,” Stella’s affidavit states. “At no time did [Stella Black] authorize West or Masella to publish her information except to Phillips acting then as [her] agent.” Stella motioned to have West disqualified as Whit’s counsel due to the conflict of interest and has filed suit against Whit-Ash, Masella law firm, Jim Edwards, Amanda Phillips and the Spectorsoft software corporation.
After the smoke clears and the cases are settled, things will return to normal in the tea rooms and on the tennis courts of Forest Acres. Reputations will be left largely unsullied and folks in the neighborhood will stop peering through the blinds for paralegals with subpoenas or reporters snooping in the azaleas. And when they think back to the tense days of the Black divorce many won’t care about corruptible attorneys or ETV property; there are far worse secrets here for sure. They’ll most likely remember the case for Whit Black’s utter neglect of his bottom line. After the court fees and lawyers and the ex wife and private detectives and their expenses are all paid Black has, by some estimates, spent more than he would had he quietly settled and coughed up the alimony. But, that’s just how divorce goes around here.
-TODD MOREHEAD
October 26th, 2007 at 07:10 PM
Stella should have checked her computer for spy software with spycop http://www.spycop.com
October 29th, 2007 at 10:24 AM
If only spyware were that simple. The weeds of this story are thick.
October 30th, 2007 at 12:14 PM
This is like a Lifetime movie right here in our neck of the woods. Not everybody is that computer savvy and few expect these kind of tactics. I understand that Ms. Black worked at Whit-Ash and was married to Whit Black for over 15 years. She deserves her piece of the pie instead of spending it all on questionable attorneys, private eyes, electronic surveillance and spyware. Somehow I doubt Osama Bin Laden is hiding in Stella’s azaleas!
October 30th, 2007 at 11:54 PM
It amazes me that people with money think they are above the law. Unfortunately, it sounds like everybody’s credibility is for sale in this case. Nasty divorce or not, wiretapping is a Federal Offense.
October 31st, 2007 at 03:45 AM
What a sorted tale. Just give the wife her fair portion of the monies earned while you were together and move on. Otherwise, there may be no Whit-Ash fortune left to split.
November 2nd, 2007 at 01:13 AM
I am a bit confused by all of this. If Whit was so concerned about Stella’s every move, maybe he should’ve just stayed married to her. Of course it does sound to me like she deserves at least half for putting up with such non sense. Show me the Money!
November 3rd, 2007 at 08:25 PM
FYI: That furniture baron was NO baron when she married him. She made him more than half of the fortune he’s been blowing away today on spying. Whit-Ash wasn’t even on the map until Stella brought in the jewelry and accessory sections. That’s what sells. And she isn’t just some brunette bomb shell…girl’s got herself a Master’s Degree! There’s a lot of intelligence behind that beauty…..
November 8th, 2007 at 07:22 PM
Could this article be anymore one sided. First of all, from what I hear Stella served Whit the divorce papers. And the reason for all the spying… it was believed someone was committing adultery. As for her being the face of Whit-Ash, its about time they got someone that can dress and has a personality. The outfits she would wear in the commericals were awful and out of style. No taste at all and that goes for her “accessory section” as well. The crap they used to carry looks like something you’d find at a yard sale. But then again, she obviously had no taste. Seems like the only intelligence she has… is getting money out of men she doesn’t deserve.
November 9th, 2007 at 09:17 PM
Wow…
Whitney left Stella, sent her divorce papers, and said he was firing her from businesses that “she” started. These businesses were funneled through Whit-Ash many years ago. I have known Stella and her family since before she was born. If any one committed adultery it was not Stella. This girl was voted “Best Dressed” all through her school years…and her commercial are sadly missed by me and many others. She started jewelry, gifts, accessories…just to name a few things she did, because I saw her do it !!! We went to her grand opening of these areas in 1994. She is very talented and was resented by Whit’s greedy, jealous extended family…in my opinion. I never saw them helping her, or supporting them as a couple. You…WOW… are obviously one of these jealous people. I doubt you even knew Stella over the years, and are most likely repeating things you should not say for your own gain… My home and jewelry came from placement that Stella personally did for my family. She did this for people I know all over the Midlands. I bought all my gifts from her after she started gifts and accessories. As for Whit…he was not a “Baron” when Stella married him. Far could be from the truth! If he was any sort of man…he would be ashamed of how he has acted towards her. In my opinion…Whit has lost his very best friend in Stella. Stella has been suffering from a horrible injury since 2006 and dealing with the death of her father just after Whit abandoned her. Whit has isolated her with all this spying mess and much more. Whit has known this and offered her no emotional support during this horrible time. Stella has helped a lot of people get ahead and better their lives. Stella has been devastated. If Whit would do this to Stella, folks should think of what he would do to them. Has Whit acted alone? If not…who has been aiding him in these activities? Since when can people do such harmful illegal things in our community and we accept it? I think that the people who have received money to destroy this woman should be publicly exposed and have to pay damages they have caused her. I hardly think Whit deserved Stella if he has endorsed all this mess!
November 10th, 2007 at 12:53 AM
Well obviously you’re on Stella’s side, being such a close family friend. What about the way she treated Whit when he was diagonsed with cancer. Hmmm… she wasn’t the most supportive wife was she. Of course not because if it didn’t have to do with her, so it didn’t matter. And no I’m not jealous of the horrible hag of a woman and what do I have to gain. People should know the truth or at least the other side of things. oh, and being voted “best dressed” through her school years doesn’t say much about the way the woman dresses now.
November 10th, 2007 at 11:12 PM
Wow… Hmmm….Sides? The truth? I was there…were you? I saw no one helping her until they thought that Whitney was going to die. If it had not been for Stella, Whit would not be here as he had been “repeatedly” misdiagnosed with sciatic nerve problems. I went through this time with her and her family. The Doctors totally missed the Cancer for some time. She was astute and persistent, getting him to the right Doctors, moving and working. This was a long process. Too bad Whit not been there for Stella! Truth…Yes…WOW…I think you are jealous…because she is anything but a Hag as everybody knows. I know what Stella looks like and how well she dresses as we speak, and my guess is you do too….but… what do you look like is the question? From your ugly comments…I would think…not so good!
November 11th, 2007 at 03:40 PM
Well, as a former employee at Whit-Ash I do know Stella and as they call him “Whit”. Whit may not always be a great guy but he deserves more credit than he is getting in this crazy story. Whit and Ashley created this store not Stella as C Rawl puts it. It was started as a furniture store, not jewelry or accesories. Jewelry and Accesories didn’t come along till later down the road. And if I may say Whit-Ash is alive off of furniture definatly not the hidous stuff Stella picked out and called accesories. After the commercials were changed Whit-ash recieved many calls expressing their gratitude for taking Stella “off the air”!! Stella as I remember was a very greedy person that had to have everything her way or not at all. Whit was a very smart man for divorcing her. Hopefully it will be Whit coming out of this on top.
November 12th, 2007 at 01:46 PM
Very interesting…what happened to Ashley? Where is he? Why is Whitney still selling Jewelry and Gifts and Accessories…if what Stella did is so hideous? I agree with C Rawl…these are such strong words to use… one little woman against all these people it seems to me. Interesting….Stella and Whitney have been married a long, long time. I personally thought her taste was excellent, and we all miss seeing her commercials. I am also a former employee. I never saw Stella as greedy…only giving…she taught me a lot. (I am confused…who is divorcing who?) However, I did leave Whit-Ash crying, because of the way Whitney treated me. It is a very stressful place. I hated having to deal with the back office women, too. Many employees I know quit because of those women. I thought they were very vicious towards Stella. Everyone was afraid to get on their bad side. It was pretty obvious that Stella was a threat to them. It seemed to me that they were the greedy ones and jealous, too.The dynamics are strange between Whitney and the so called “family.” Too many people in the marriage…too many “relatives” maintained. If what Stella did is so tacky…give her what she started, built, and earned in this marriage so she can move on with her life. What is the problem? It sounds as if “they” do not want to give her what she deserves and “a lot of people” are using this to make money.
November 12th, 2007 at 02:03 PM
I worked at Whit-Ash. I had a horrible experience with the women in the back office. They were very jealous and resentful of Stella. They got rid of anyone who got close to Stella or who defended her. They were always stiring up problems for what I thought was diversion from what they were doing…or were not doing. I am not suprised as I read the article about the computer. I felt certain that these two were blocking us getting inventory automated. I hate that Stella is going through this, but Karma is going to be something else for those two!
November 12th, 2007 at 05:19 PM
Jewelry and Gifts and Accessories were a huge draw for traffic while I was an employee. Stella did start these areas a long time ago. Otherwise, it was just another dusty furniture store. Stella has flair and style. The two women in the back office made my life a nightmare while working there. They kept trouble going. Many people quit, because of these two and their manipulative tactics…like forcing us to buy them expensive birthday presents in hopes of being accepted as “part of the group.” They were very jealous and resentful of Stella. I put nothing past these women. It was common knowledge if you liked Stella or took up for her…they would get rid of you. Few people will speak up,because they are afraid of what they may do. I was not surprised to read of the computer issues. These two made it impossible for us to get inventory automated while I was there. It became a joke among the sales staff! Stella should get what she started and what she did so she can move on with her life too. What do they want to do…destroy her? They are very mean women…and very jealous! My guess is they had a big hand in all of this.
November 12th, 2007 at 06:26 PM
Jenn are you saying that what all my family, all my friends, our community and I bought was hideous??? I have shopped there with Stella since the early 1990’s because of her taste. If you are a “former employee” then how would you know Whit-Ash got calls? I do not believe you. We loved the commercials. Everyone liked them that we know. They were “on air” for over ten years. Strange… Jenn…Stella did what she did. It was not hideous, and sales will show what she did was not hideous. I think this is the real problem here.
Since you brought this up…where is Ashley? Is Whitney still socializing with Ashley’s x wife, Marie who was going through a divorce #2 and getting assistance from Whitney when he left Stella. Was Whitney as worried about Stella? You are right about one thing…they did not have gifts, jewelry, and accessories. Stella started this, because I saw her start these areas of business myself.
November 12th, 2007 at 06:29 PM
Jenn are you saying that what all my family, all my friends, our community and I bought was hideous??? I have shopped there with Stella since the early 1990’s because of her taste. If you are a “former employee” then how would you know Whit-Ash got calls? I do not believe you. We loved the commercials. Everyone liked them that we know. They were “on air” for over ten years. Strange… Jenn…Stella did what she did. It was not hideous, and sales will show what she did was not hideous. I think this is the real problem here.
Since you brought this up…where is Ashley? Is Whitney still socializing with Ashley’s x wife, Marie who was going through a divorce #2 and getting assistance from Whitney when he left Stella. Was Whitney as worried about Stella? You are right about one thing…they did not have gifts, jewelry, and accessories. Stella started this, because I saw her start these areas of business myself.
November 13th, 2007 at 05:48 PM
This is incredible! When I discovered the article and read it, I was appalled to learn that any so-called journalistic effort would have participated in such a blatant attempt to garner support and sympathy for one lone woman’s DIVORCE! Mr. Rawl, you obviously do not know Ms. Keisler as well as you believe that you do. Or perhaps you know that side she puts on when she wants to. Everyone who knew both Whitney and Stella together in the early years BEGGED him to obtain a prenuptial agreement before things became too serious. He wouldn’t hear of it, sadly now for him. Then one day he up and announced that they had done the deed - called up some folks, opened up the church, and were married. The years spent at that store by Stella were a terror for most employees. No one ever knew what they might do to incur her wrath. And Wow, you had the right of it - I don’t believe she even called for help as Whitney was in the kitchen floor with a broken leg from the cancer - she was going out of town to shop with her friend, and could not be held up by anything so ugly as cancer. She didn’t get Whitney to the “right” doctors. The ambulance he had to call himself did it. And Mr. Rawl, Stella had nothing to do with the ordering of all the things you have dressed your home with - the Black brothers have been stocking that store quite well for years before Stella’s arrival. She only got the store on television and dressed up the ads. Jenn, you are right too - Whitney may not always be the easiest man to get along with, but he absolutely does not deserve this. He is only out to protect his only child - a furniture store. Whitney truly loved Stella, and he did everything within his power to make her happy. But for some people, too much is never enough. I still cannot believe all this has been stirred up by one paper’s attempt to further one single woman’s ambitions. The family members I shared the article with all asked the same question, “who is Todd Morehead?” Obviously, a very close and personal friend of Stella. I don’t believe that should serve as a purpose for our “alternative newspaper”. It was lurid and sad. And, as Mr. Gump would say, “that’s all I have to say about that.”
November 14th, 2007 at 09:55 AM
Most of these comments are ridiculous!! Only the parties involved would know all these sorted details and have decided to hash it out here. Name calling and childish insults don’t accomplish a thing. All the stories about “He Said” and “She Said” are irrelevant. This is a business and divorce means lets separate the assets and move on. It doesn’t matter what anybody thinks about his furniture or her accessories. Let the lawyers determine the profits AFTER the marriage took place and give each party their fair portion. Both Stella and Whit worked together for many years to build the success of Whit-Ash.
November 14th, 2007 at 01:48 PM
Someone asked “Who is Todd Morehead?” - I don’t know anything about him but he did some very good investigative reporting here and made it clear he was using public records at the courthouse as his source. The article was well written, most entertaining for the locals and a great word of WARNING for anyone even thinking about divorce where major assets are involved. After all the talk of “surveillance, hidden cameras, private eyes, questionable attorneys and spyware” … I was paranoid and looking over my shoulder! LOL It’s very scary to see how few rights we have left and privacy is clearly a thing of the past. I thank God I’m not in this situation.
November 15th, 2007 at 03:07 PM
Full disclosure: Todd Morehead does not personally know Stella Black nor Whit Black nor any of the parties involved. City Paper assigned Morehead the story after a source close to the case informed us that SCETV had been subpoenaed and that publicly-funded cameras had allegedly been used for spying, a charge that we are continuing to investigate. Mr. Morehead simply used an alternative journalism model to describe/paraphrase the allegations put forth by Stella Black in her affidavit.