Photo by Paras Griffin/Getty Images for SCAD aTVfest 2018
Say it ain’t so! Salim Akil is being sued for an alleged domestic violence dispute and breach of contract complaint by actress Amber Dixon Brenner. The actress claims to have been the producer’s girlfriend for over a decade up until last year. As you should know, Salim has been married to his partner-in-business and wife, Mara Brock Akil since 1999.
Brenner claims she pitched a screenplay called “Luv & Perversity in the East Village” to the director in 2016, which was based on their alleged “physically and sexually abusive relationship.” The screenplay is about “a young, attractive, black entertainment professional, who falls in love with a dominant and aggressive man who turns her life upside down,” which she claims is the idea for the basis of OWN’s Love Is, which Akil is executive producer of.
Yikes!
AUSTIN, TX – MARCH 10: Actor Salim Akil attends BuzzFeed Presents: IT’S LIT powered by The CW Black Lightning on March 10, 2018 in Austin, Texas. (Photo by Robin Marchant/Getty Images for BuzzFeed/The CW)
She’s suing for breach of implied contract with regards to her screenplay, and for domestic violence for the alleged abuse she experienced during their relationship. Brenner’s lawsuit included multiple instances of physical violence in the form of slapping, strangling, and forced oral sex. She explains one encounter during a birthday party in Los Angeles’ Roosevelt Hotel where Salim asked her to follow him into the bathroom, where he slapped her, causing her to stumble backwards, and commanded her to perform oral sex.
Due to the allegations, Warner Bros. TV has started an investigation on The CW show, Black Lightning, where Akil serves as the showrunner. Warner Bros. TV is using the investigation is to confidentially address safety concerns on the series by cast and crew.
If this is true, it’s so sad as Salim and his wife, Mara have produced some of the most talked about modern day, Black shows on television. We can thank them for Girlfriends, The Game, Being Mary Jane, Black Lightning, and Love Is.
TELL US: Do you think the allegations are true?
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