A “Hustle & Flow” actress and a production company formed by the late director John Singleton are working on the completion of a settlement of her lawsuit alleging she is owed contingent compensation from the 2005 film he co-produced, attorneys told a judge today.
Los Angeles Superior Court Judge Bruce G. Iwasaki was presented the update during a hearing in the case brought in November 2021 by plaintiff Taryn Manning against Crunk Pictures LLC, alleging breach of contract and also seeking an accounting. The judge set a June 23 hearing for a further update.
According to Manning, she is owed under a May 2004 agreement with Crunk Pictures 1% of 100% of the net profits derived from exploitation of the picture, amounting to at least $812,245.
In his court papers, a Crunk attorney denied Manning’s allegations and said her claims are barred by the statute of limitations. Manning’s accountant and attorney contacted various people about the money she is allegedly owed and a Crunk representative said in September 2021 that the company “does not owe plaintiff anything in connection with the picture,” the suit states.
The 44-year-old Manning is best known for portraying Tiffany “Pennsatucky” Doggett in the Netflix original series, “Orange Is the New Black.”
“Hustle & Flow” starred Terrence Howard as a Memphis hustler and pimp who aspired to become a rapper. The movie was an Academy Award for best original song for, “It’s Hard Out Here for a Pimp.”
The film was produced by Singleton and Stephanie Allain. Singleton, who founded Crunk Pictures in 2004, died in April 2019 of a stroke at age 51.
