Film director Spike Lee is being sued by the directors of three union benefit plans who contend he didn’t make sufficient health and pension contributions.
The lawsuit claims an audit found the Do The Right Thing director and his companies had nearly $45,000 (£36,000) in unpaid contributions between September 2007 and March 2010.
The suit said the filmmaker controlled Black Butterfly, a signatory to collective bargaining agreements, and treated its assets, which include the 2008 film Miracle At St Anna, as his own while failing to pay its debts.
“Despite multiple demands, Black Butterfly has failed to pay the claims asserted by the Plans. Black Butterfly refuses, and continues to refuse, to pay the amounts due for unpaid contributions disclosed by the audit,” the lawsuit says.
The plaintiffs manage plans for the American Federal of Musicians, the International Alliance of Theatrical Stage Employees and the International Brotherhood of Teamsters Studio Transportation Drivers.
They are seeking all unpaid damages, interest, audit costs and legal fees.
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