Sep 18, 2007 11:22 am US/Pacific
Actor Snipes Must Pay $1.7 Mil To Talent Agency
LOS ANGELES (CBS) ―
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Snipes, 45, also is facing trial Oct. 22 in Ocala, Fla., on tax charges for allegedly fraudulently claiming refunds of $12 million.
(Photo by Frank Micelotta/Getty Images)
"Blade" trilogy star Wesley Snipes must pay a $1.7 million default judgment to a talent agency that helped him get roles in various films, according to court papers obtained Tuesday.
The Los Angeles-based United Talent Agency Inc. filed suit against Snipes in Los Angeles Superior Court in July 2006, alleging breach of oral contract. He did not respond to the suit even though a summons was published in two newspapers, according to UTA court papers.
Los Angeles Superior Court Judge David Workman held a brief hearing on the case Thursday and originally scheduled another session for Sept. 26 to give him time to review the default documents presented by UTA attorneys.
However, later in the day, Workman sitned the judgment and entered it against the veteran actor.
Neither Snipes nor a representative for the actor were immediately available for comment.
According to the lawsuit, Snipes and UTA entered into a verbal agreement in November 2002 in which the agency was to be paid 10 percent of any money the actor received for movie roles that UTA obtained for him.
The plaintiffs said Snipes received $13 million for his role in "Blade III," according to the lawsuit. Four former talent agents with the company were principally responsible for him getting the role, the suit alleges.
The firm also helped Snipes land parts in the movies "Chaos," "Middle Man" and "The Shooter," but the actor did not pay the commissions he owes for those performances either, the agency maintained.
Snipes parted company with the talent agency in February 2006, the lawsuit stated.
After UTA was unable to serve Snipes with notice of the lawsuit personally, the company obtained approval in May from Commissioner Barry D. Kohn to publish a summons giving notice of the litigation in two newspapers, UTA court papers state.
The summons was published in May and June in the Daily Journal, because Snipes has done business in Los Angeles, and in The Record in Fort Lee, N.J., near where Snipes lives, the UTA court papers state.
Snipes, 45, also is facing trial Oct. 22 in Ocala, Fla., on tax charges for allegedly fraudulently claiming refunds of $12 million.
Snipes, who faces up to 16 years in prison, has denied the allegations and said he is being made a scapegoat. He is represented in the tax case by attorney Billy Martin, who also is the lawyer for Atlanta Falcons quarterback Michael Vick and Idaho Sen. Larry Craig.
(© 2007 CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. The Associated Press contributed to this report.)
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