‘Empire’ Director Lee Daniels Ordered To Pay Up $335k To Employees Over 2005 Bomb “Shadowboxer”

Lee Daniels Owes Workers From 2005 Flop “Shadowboxer”

Lee Daniels is on the hook for $335,000 in unpaid residuals to his film employees who worked on his 2005 box office bomb “Shadowboxer” after a federal court judge ordered him to pay the full amount in a legal battle brought by an actor’s union.

The Screen Actors Guild America Federation of Television and Radio Artists slapped the ‘Empire’ creator. with a federal lawsuit last month over unpaid residuals along with required pension and health contributions to employees who worked on the directors 2005 film, ‘Shadowboxer’ which starred Helen Mirren, Joseph Gordon-Levitt and Cuba Gooding Jr.

The lawsuit explained that SAG-AFTRA tried to take Daniels to arbitration back in 2009 over the situation – but the director never showed up to court. The arbitrator came back with the decision in 2011 and awarded the union guilds $335,000. The award consisted of $169,630 in residuals along with $25,323 in pension and health contributions and nearly $94,000 in late payment damages.

SAG-AFTRA filed the suit demanding the federal court judge confirm the arbitration award so they could go after Daniels’ company for the cash owed.

Daniels never responded to the lawsuit in court nor was he required to show up and answer the allegations in the complaint.

Then on January 4th, the federal court judge came back and confirmed the arbitration award ordering Daniels to pay the $335,000 to SAG-AFTRA but refused to award them attorney fees for the case.

The case was closed the same day.