Photo: Kevin Winter / Getty Images Entertainment / Getty Images
SANTA MONICA (CNS) - Terrence Howard has dropped his lawsuit against 20th Century FOX concerning compensation for the alleged use of his image from the 2005 film "Hustle & Flow" to promote the "Empire" television series.
"Empire" was a musical drama that ran from January 2015 to April 2020 as a joint production by Imagine Television and 20th Century Fox Television. The 55-year-old actor portrayed the character of Lucious Lyon.
Howard alleged in his Santa Monica Superior Court lawsuit that he never did a photo shoot for the series. He said the photo the studio used was from the movie's recording session scene when he sang the Grammy-award winning song, "It's Hard Out Here For a Pimp."
Terrence contended in the suit filed in October 2020 that he was not fully paid for uses of his name or image, including uses of the "Empire" logo containing his image, on or in connection with merchandise, endorsements and other "compensable" uses.
Howard's attorney filed court papers on Monday with Judge Lisa K Sepe- Wiesenfeld asking that the case be dismissed "without prejudice," but the court papers did not explain if a settlement was reached or if the actor is not proceeding for other reasons.
In their court papers, 20th Century Fox attorneys maintained that Howard consented to the use of his image.