Terrence Howard Accuses Agency Of Fraud over “Empire” Role

Hollywood actor, Terrence Howard is suing CAA for being shortchanged in the agency’s dealings over his compensation on Empire.

Howard, on Friday, filed a lawsuit against CAA, a talent agency, for allegedly fraudulently convincing him to take less money for his “Empire” role.

Howard alleges his agents who packaged the deal with Fox put their interests and the show’s producers first, while in the same breadth, induced him to take below-market salaries over his six-season run starring in the series.

According to Howard, “I trusted CAA to look after me, and they looked after themselves,”
“Despite this feeling of trust, it would be years later that Howard would discover that CAA placed their financial interests, as well as the interests of the production companies they also represented, ahead of his own,” the Los Angeles Superior Court lawsuit states.

According to the Los Angeles Reporter, while the producers want to keep the top-line production budget as low as reasonably possible, actors want to be paid the maximum value for their work.

The suit also claims that there was a racial component to the agency’s alleged refusal to negotiate in the best interest of Howard, who says he was underpaid by as much as 50 per cent compared to top actors in hit series.

“Empire” had a debut pilot that reached nearly 10 million viewers, marking Fox’s highest-rated debut in three years, the suit states.

Howard, 54, seeks unspecified compensatory and punitive damages. A CAA representative could not be immediately reached.

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