A wealthy charity owner who donated $2 million to fund a children's park says she is outraged after officials didn't name the attraction in her child's memory. 

Susan Naylor launched a lawsuit this month against officials in Town Branch, Kentucky, accusing them of violating an agreement to name a water play area in Gatton Park after her late son, Will Smith.

The eight-year-old died in a car accident in Hawaii in 2007 and Naylor founded a children's charity in his honor. 

The Will Smith Foundation has grown into a major Texas children's organization with almost $2 million in assets, and Naylor has appeared at events promoting her advocacy with celebrities including Dolly Parton. 

She has funded many children's parks and events through the foundation for years, and said in May 2023 she was contacted by Town Branch Executive Director Allison Lankford to ask for a donation for Gatton Park. 

She said the town executive offered the naming rights to the park's water play area in exchange for a donation, and Naylor agreed to a $2 million pledge paid in $400,000 installments. 

But Naylor said after she donated $800,000, she received renderings of the park's renovations that showed the water area would only have a single sign reading 'WaterPlay.' 

According to Naylor's lawsuit, she said her complaints about the park's name were dismissed by Lankford, who told her that the signage was basic to 'ensure consistency' throughout the park, per the lawsuit cited by WKYT. 

She alleged that when a sign was eventually installed that noted the park was 'on behalf' of her son, it was later painted over after it was revealed to the public. 

Naylor's attorney, Andre Regard, said the charity chief has been left furious by the naming rights fiasco, alleging she was conned out of $800,000 for city officials to go back on their word. 

Regard said Naylor and city officials signed a contract that would grant her the right to name the water park directly after her son and stipulated that she would be consulted on how signs would be displayed. 

He said the city publicly communicated that the park would be named after Naylor's son, who died in 2007, for over two years after she signed the contract in 2023, but alleged that their final plans failed to live up to expectations.

'She didn’t sign an agreement to an honorarium. She signed an agreement to a naming right,' Regard told WKYT. 

He said Naylor's contract did not mention that the park's sign would read only 'WaterPlay', and said a second rendering showed the signs would read: 'WaterPlay with thanks to Susan Naylor, on behalf of her son William Naylor Smith.'

Regard said other areas of the park had signs named directly for donors, leaving Naylor enraged over why her son was not honored properly.

'To say this is a water park in honor of William Naylor or Will Naylor is different than saying this is, say, Will's Water Place,' he said. 

'It sends a totally different message.'

'It’s almost like the difference between somewhat of a sad message - you know, ‘here is something in honor of somebody who is unfortunately deceased’ - versus something that’s uplifting,' he added.

Naylor added in her suit that she was not even invited to the park's groundbreaking ceremony despite her huge pledge. 

She is now suing for a full refund of her donation. 

In response to the lawsuit, a spokesman for Gatton Park told WKYT that Naylor's allegations are 'wholly unfounded.'

'As has been communicated to Ms Naylor on multiple occasions, Town Branch Park fully complied with its commitments in connection with her donation,' the representative said.

'The allegations in the complaint are wholly unfounded, and they will be vigorously defended in the courtroom.

'Out of respect for the legal process, no further comment will be made at this time.'