Wendy Williams' guardian was unsuccessful in blocking the release of Lifetime's documentary about her -- and now, we know what they told a judge to get the court to take their side.
According to new legal docs, obtained by TMZ, A&E filed a response to what Sabrina Morrissey -- Wendy's court-appointed guardian -- submitted just days before their project was set to hit the airwaves a few weeks ago ... and the network stands by its decision to move forward with the release.
An executive producer on 'Where Is Wendy Williams?' named Mark Ford lays out in detail how the doc came together ... and who he claims was onboard, including Wendy herself -- who he says was willing and eager to participate as the subject -- as well as Wendy's guardian, Sabrina.
In a sworn statement to the court, Ford says Wendy had been signed on to this doc from the get-go -- but as time went on and it became clear she was battling health issues, although Ford claims he didn't become aware of her dementia diagnosis until filming was nearly complete. He insists Wendy "appears to feel most at home when she is able to continue sharing her life" with the public and says the dementia diagnosis became "part of the story she wanted to tell."
He cites the Britney Spears conservatorship and the larger conversations about legal apparatuses like that as a driving force behind their intention to weigh in on this important matter through the documentary.
More importantly, Ford says that he spoke with several people directly in Wendy's orbit who assured him that Sabrina was well aware of what was going on and what they were filming ... and that she never attempted to stop Wendy from participating, although Sabrina did not ultimately participate herself in the documentary.
That's exactly why he says he and everyone else at Lifetime have a hard time understanding why Morrissey tried to block the doc -- 'cause they say it was pretty clear what they were shooting for over a year. In the documents they speculate Sabrina saw the trailer and realized she might be criticized and tried to shut the documentary down.
As we reported ... the judge sided with A&E/Lifetime, and let the doc air. Morrissey, for her part, suggested Wendy had been exploited and that the angle Lifetime went with took her and Wendy by surprise ... claiming Wendy never got a peek at the final cut of the project.
Morrissey's filing also gave more insight into Wendy's day-to-day, and it sounds like she needs substantial assistance in her daily affairs now amid her aphasia/dementia diagnosis.