Star Trek star Nichelle Nichols is caught up in a legal battle with her manger, Gilbert Bell, who is accused of financially taking advantage of the 87-year-old woman. According to IndieWire, Bell allegedly has committed deceitful actions while serving as the actress's personal and business affairs manager for the past decade. 

Nichols' son, Kyle Johnson, filed the complaint against the manger, saying Bell has been deceiving the elderly woman in the last 10 years while she was struggling with her health. 

Nichols was diagnosed with dementia and short-term memory loss in 2013. The family said that's when Bell "took advantage of the situation to obtain her signature on medical and general Powers of Attorney."

"Bell exerted influence and assumed control over Nichols' assets and personal life by telling Ms. Nichols lies, fabricating documents, and establishing legal entities controlled by Bell in order to profit from Ms. Nichols' personal affairs," Johnson said in a statement. 

Johnson's lawsuit comes after Bell filed a complaint last year, saying Nichols is being harmed by her own son. 

“Johnson is trying to have Ms. Nichols and Mr. Bell removed from the adjoining properties so that he may sell it," the 2019 complaint stated. "He wishes to have her placed in an assisted care facility, against her express wishes.” 

In response, Johnson has now brought forth several complaints against the manager, including elder abuse, theft and fraud. Johnson said Bell forced Nichols to let him rent her guest home for only $300 a month although it is worth as much as $3,500. Bell denounced the allegation, saying Nichols was going to let him live for free on the property but he insisted on establishing a leasing agreement.

"In 2012, Bell temporarily moved into a second house on Nichols' property and continues to live in the house under a fraudulent lease and a succeeding fraudulent reverse mortgage," the actor's son stated. 

Adding to the complaint, Johnson said Bell discharged Nichols from a rehabilitation facility against the wishes of her family and the medical professionals treating her. 

Marian Smothers, Nichols' younger sister, set up a GoFundMe campaign to raise funds for the legal battle. According to the family's statement on the GoFundMe page, the Star Trek star "has always been very independent, living life on her own terms."

"She has enjoyed a successful career in the public eye – acting on television and in films, performing live, and making personal appearances at fan conventions," the campaign stated.

The actress's family said Nichols first met Bell in 2010 when he approached the elderly woman and said he wanted to make her a co-star for a film he was producing.

"Bell insinuated himself into her life," Nichols' loved ones wrote. "He convinced her to allow him to move into the second house on her property adjacent to her residence as they worked on the project that never happened."

"Over time, as he continued to gain influence, fees from her many personal appearances, and even her pension and Social Security, began to disappear," the GoFundMe page stated. "We believe that Bell has taken financial advantage of Nichelle to the tune of well over a million dollars, but we have only scratched the surface."

Nichols is best known for playing Lt. Uhura on the original Star Trek television series.

"As the first Black woman in a non-traditional role on 1960s TV, her beauty, intelligence, and moxie inspired millions of women, especially women of color, in their aspirations, education, and vision for the future," the actor's family said. 

The cultural icon also worked with NASA to recruit women of color for the Space Shuttle program.