The Roc-A-Fella Records co-founder claims he was denied his shares of money and promised producer credits from movies like 'The Butler' and 'Precious'.
- August 15, 2014
AceShowbiz -
Lee Daniels has reacted to the lawsuit filed by music mogul Damon Dash against him. "The reported claims by Damon Dash that he is owed money from investments in Lee Daniels' films are completely without merit," a representative for the movie director told The Wrap.
Damon is suing Daniels over production work on some movie projects like "Lee Daniels' The Butler", "The Paperboy", "Precious: Based on the Novel PUSH by Sapphire", and "Shadowboxer". In his legal papers filed in New York Supreme Court, the Roc-A-Fella Records co-founder demands $25 million from the Oscar-nominated filmmaker.
Dash sues Daniels for alleged breach of agreement "arising from, among other things, Defendants attempt to deprive Plaintiff of the monetary benefits and producer and executive producer credits owed to Mr. Dash as per the parties' agreements along with any ownership rights normally conferred therewith."
Another film mentioned in the lawsuit is 2004's "The Woodsman" starring Kevin Bacon. "I was funding my own movies. So I funded 'The Woodsman' for Lee Daniels. ... He swore to God I was gonna get my money back. ... The movie ended up costing like $12 million. And I had no say in how it came out. They didn't want me as part of the perception of the marketing of it....And I ended up never getting my money back," he said to HipHopdx.
Dash was dealing with financial trouble in the past recent years. The former business partner of Jay-Z in Roc-A-Fella Records was kicked out of his New York home last year after allegedly falling behind on his rent. He was also previously slapped with a $2.8 million federal tax bill regarding his earnings dating back to 2005.
