Terrence Howard Trying To Block Ex-Wife Michelle Ghent From Seizing His 'Empire' Checks
By Ryan Naumann on March 5, 2020 at 3:22 PM EST
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Terrence Howard is battling his ex-wife Michelle Ghent's attempts to seize his “Empire” paychecks to settle a $1.3 million debt.
According to court documents obtained by The Blast, 20th Century Fox has filed legal documents against Terrence Howard, his ex-wife Michelle Ghent, the actor’s company Universal Bridges and several law firms.
In the suit, 20th Century says they owe money to Terrence for his role on the Lee Daniels hit “Empire.” The documents state the actor is owed more than 25,000 for the services he rendered on the series. 20th Century says they will owe Terrence more money in the future.
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20th Century explains Terrence and Michelle had a nasty divorce where they battle over money. Back in August, a Los Angeles judge ordered Terrence to pay his ex $1.3 million in back spousal support and extra due to his television success. The breakdown came to $263,000 owed in back support and another $1.05 million due to his increase in income since the divorce settlement.
At the time, the actor was only being paid $120,000 an episode but that increased to over $250,000 per episode on “Empire.”
The divorce battle has been going on since 2013. Michelle is currently working on collecting her $1.3 million.
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In newly filed court documents, 20th Century says Michelle served them with the court order stating 100% of Terrence’s money is to be paid to them.
20th Century says Terrence’s company is threatening to sue them for breach of contract if he isn’t paid fully. He has filed an appeal of the divorce judgment and believes enforcement is stayed, meaning it is put on pause until the outcome of his appeal.
The studio says they are unsure of how to handle the situation and don’t want to pay the money to the wrong person. They filed suit asking the court to tell them who to write the check to. 20th Century is asking for their attorney fees to be covered in the suit.
Terrence and Michelle have been battling it out for years in court, which included tax evasion allegations.
