Terrence Howard Sues CAA Over ‘Empire’ Salary – The Hollywood Reporter

Terrence Howard is suing CAA for an alleged conflict-of-interest in the agency’s dealings over his compensation on Empire.

In the lawsuit, filed in Los Angeles Superior Court on Friday, Howard alleges his agents who packaged the deal with Fox prioritized the interests of themselves and the show’s producers, which it also represented, by inducing him to take below-market salaries over his six season run starring in the series. CAA declined to comment.

“I trusted CAA to look after me, and they looked after themselves,” Howard said.

James Bryant, a lawyer representing Howard, takes issue with packaging fees, which is when an agency forgoes commissioning the client and instead receives a fee from the studio. “Over the last several years, agencies have become much more powerful and found a much more lucrative way of making money,” he said. “It’s by being the packaging agent, where you represent actors, producers, production companies and your own financial interest. That’s where that fiduciary duty begins to break down. That’s why we’re here today.”

Howard brings claims for breach of fiduciary duty, among others. He’s represented by James Bryant and Brian Dunn of The Cochran Firm, as well as solo attorney Carlos Moore.

This isn’t the first suit that Howard has filed over his compensation on Empire, one of the most-watched shows on the network during its run. In 2020, He sued 20th Century Studios over allegedly unpaid royalties fees for use of his name and likeness on merchandise. The complaint claimed breach of contract and demanded an accounting.

He also played the role of defendant in another suit from his former talent management firm accusing him of breaching an oral contract by failing to pay post-termination commissions. Authentic Talent and Literary Management claimed that they were entitled to 10 percent of all gross revenue he received from employment in Hollywood during the time they represented him. Notably, this included Empire.

More to come.