R&B singer Marques Houston has launched a legal counterattack against allegations of unpaid wages to the crew of a TV show he co-produced. The lawsuit, which initially sought over $85,000 in damages, accused Houston, along with record executive Christopher Stokes, Footage Films, and UrbanFlix TV, of breaching contracts, negligent misrepresentation, failing to pay timely wages, and engaging in unfair and unlawful business practices.
Five crew members, Orville Allen, September Burks, Jamilla Cagnolatti, Shanya Steave, and Jaden Jackson, who worked on the UrbanFlix show “Fosters Law,” claimed that Houston and Stokes had failed to compensate them for their services as stipulated in their contracts. The suit alleged that the plaintiffs made persistent efforts to communicate with Houston and Stokes to resolve the payment issue. However, the suit claims, the defendants often did not respond to text and phone communications for months, causing significant financial hardship to the plaintiffs.
In response to the lawsuit, court documents obtained by RadarOnline.com revealed that Houston, Stokes, and Footage Films TV Inc. have denied all allegations.
Houston wants the court to dismiss the lawsuit, according to unconfirmed reports by RadarOnline.
Houston, recognized for his solo music career after being a member of the R&B group Immature, which later became known as IMx, from 1990 to 2002, also has acted in the popular television comedy “Sister, Sister.” The artist, who was known by nickname Batman when he was with Immature, has an estimated net worth of $2.5 million.
Houston released his debut album “MH” in 2003, and it landed at number 20 on the Billboard 200 and number 5 on Billboard’s Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums. His second album, “Naked,” dropped in 2005, and it peaked at number 13 on the Billboard chart and number 5 on Billboard’s Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums. His most recent album was “Me” in 2022.
Show Them The Money
One crew member claimed to be owed $35,000, another said she is owed $15,000, a third crew member claimed missing pay of $10,000, and the final two plaintiffs said they weren’t paid $10,000 and $15,000.
“Although each Plaintiff completed the services contemplated by the contract or substantially performed until termination by Footage Films, Defendants have still not paid any of the Plaintiffs for any of the services completed towards the production,” the suit states.