Hollywood actor Terrence Howard has widened his legal dispute with his former talent agency, alleging that the company failed to disclose valuable commercial opportunities tied to the successful television series Empire.
Howard had already taken legal action against the agency over the way it handled negotiations for his salary on the popular FOX drama. He now argues that he was denied important information that could have influenced decisions about his contract and career.
According to court documents, Howard said his representatives asked FOX to increase his pay to $750,000 per episode. However, the network reportedly declined the request, maintaining that the highest amount it was prepared to offer was $325,000 per episode.
The actor further claimed that his agents did not inform him about discussions involving the Empire fragrance brand. He alleged that plans had been explored for a Terrence Howard-branded fragrance, which would have included a $20,000 appearance fee for a product launch, paid promotional engagements, an opportunity to market the product on the Home Shopping Network (HSN), and the potential creation of his own signature men’s fragrance line.
Howard argued that the alleged failure to disclose these opportunities left him without the full picture when deciding whether to accept the contract terms offered for Empire. He maintains that his former representatives did not act in his best interests by withholding information about the proposed commercial ventures.
The talent agency, Creative Artists Agency (CAA), has rejected the allegations and is asking the court to dismiss the lawsuit. Among its arguments, the agency contends that Howard filed the claims after the legal deadline allowed under the applicable statute of limitations had expired.
The case remains before the court, where both parties are expected to present further arguments as the legal proceedings continue.
