Terrence Howard was sued in February 2022 by the producers of the 2021 film Triumph and actor RJ Mitte.
The actor, who was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Actor for his role in Hustle & Flow, was accused of dragging out a lawsuit accusing him of defrauding producers on the film, which was intended to raise funds for Cerebral Palsy.
According to court documents obtained by Radar Online, the producers sued the actor and his wife Mira, requesting that the court order Howard to appear for a deposition.
How It All Began?
In May 2021, Howard was reported to have hired legal guns to wrestle with the producers of Triumph, claiming that the producers did not have his permission to use him in the already-released film.
According to TMZ, the actor’s legal team even sent a cease and desist letter to employees at Cinemark, Digital Ignition Entertainment, Argonaut Entertainment Partners, and others, alleging that the actor’s name, clips, and likeness were used without his permission in the feature film.
According to the letter, Howard’s participation in the film was “conditional on the fulfillment of material monetary and non-monetary promises made by the producers, which never occurred.”
According to the actor’s attorneys, the producers acknowledged that Howard’s consent had not been obtained and that the film could not be released until they reached an agreement by April 15, 2021.
Despite this, the film was released in theaters on April 30.
Allegations Made Against Terrence Howard by the Producers
Forward to the present, and the producers have accused the actor of refusing to answer questions about the alleged attempted extortion.
They claimed to have properly served the Empire star with deposition notices. He, on the other hand, had failed to make himself available.
As a result, they are asking the court to order him to appear and to impose sanctions of $5,100.
Howard allegedly agreed to work on the film for seven days in exchange for 15% of the net profits. He had also agreed to give the Cerebral Palsy Foundation 5% of his salary.
However, the producers claimed in their lawsuit that Howard began causing problems after agreeing to take on the role. They claimed he demanded an extra $75,000 days before production began, and they had no choice but to pay him to avoid delays.
He was also accused of refusing to sign the written contract while on set.
As a result, as the film neared completion, the actor began sending cease and desist letters, claiming they had no right to use his name or likeness.
His notices allegedly ruined numerous deals and cost the producers a fortune.
For all of these reasons, the producers are now suing for more than $1 million in damages.
Terrence Howard Strikes Back
Following the incident, Howard denied all of the claims made against him in court.
Not only that, but he revealed that he was initially offered $150,000 in addition to a $500,000 tax credit donation to the charity in order to provide his company with a tax credit/deduction for the amount.
In his court documents, he also stated that his worst working experience was on the set of Triumph.
The final verdict has yet to be issued as of this writing.
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