Broadway and screen star Leslie Odom Jr. is facing legal heat from his father, Leslie Odom Sr., in an apparent family dispute that has spilled over into court.
The Tony Award winner’s father accused his son of breach of contract and financial elder abuse, among other allegations, in a lawsuit filed Tuesday in Los Angeles County Superior Court. The complaint stems from the actor’s alleged failure to fulfill promises of buying his father a home, according to legal documents reviewed by The Times.
Leslie Odom Sr., who is described in the lawsuit as a retiree who lives in Los Angeles and South Carolina, also sued the “Hamilton” and “One Night in Miami…” star, 43, for intentional infliction of emotional distress, among other charges. The performer “failed to fulfill his commitments and engaged in conduct designed to intimidate and emotionally harm [his father], causing financial losses and severe emotional distress,” the lawsuit says.
Representatives for Leslie Odom Jr. did not immediately comment on Friday but indicated they would do so soon.
The legal complaint details several alleged instances where Leslie Odom Jr., whose career reached new heights after his award-winning performance in the original cast of Lin-Manuel Miranda’s “Hamilton,” offered to buy his father a home. Leslie Odom Sr. had lived with his wife in a Philadelphia home since 1993. According to the suit, the Broadway star allegedly told his father in November 2018 he wanted to buy him a home in “a better part” of Pennsylvania as a way to repay him “for being a great father.”
The actor purchased a home in Wyncote, Pa., and allegedly gave his father the keys and “told him the house was all his.” Under this impression, the suit says, Leslie Odom Sr. sold his longtime Philadelphia home in April 2019 with the intention of living in the Wyncote property until his retirement. In his suit, he claims that his son “never transferred the Wyncote property” into his name as allegedly promised.
The lawsuit also says that in March 2019, the younger Odom requested his father “pack up, yet again,” and move to Los Angeles to help care for the grandchildren. According to the suit, Leslie Odom Sr. agreed, and his son allegedly promised to buy his father a house in L.A. That same month, Leslie Odom Jr. sold the Wyncote home and did not give his father any part of the proceeds, the lawsuit states.
The suit says that while in Los Angeles to care for his grandkids, Leslie Odom Sr. lived in a home his son had rented, despite the latter’s alleged “assurances” he would buy his father a home. The rental situation was “very problematic for Senior because he wanted stability and financial security in his retirement age,” the lawsuit says. Each year while living in Los Angeles, Leslie Odom Sr. asked his son about buying a home that was in his name, but the actor allegedly “continued to deflect the question.”
The lawsuit says that after nearly three years, the elder Odom raised the question again, and his son allegedly “raised a fit” and said he would move his parents “anywhere that they wanted to go and he would pay for it.” The elder Odom chose South Carolina and was “relocated” in June 2024. Once more, his son allegedly “failed to purchase a home there as promised,” the lawsuit says.
The complaint says Leslie Odom Sr. “continued to request” that his son fulfill his promise regarding the South Carolina home but that the “Central Park” actor “became even more enraged” and subsequently “engaged in a series of intimidation tactics muscle flexing.” The elder Odom‘s suit accuses his son of directing him to his “people” and using “high-power attorneys” to write letters threatening legal action and instructing him to keep his distance from his son. The suit also accuses his son of hacking into his online accounts and cutting off communication to his grandkids.
Leslie Odom Sr. alleges in his suit that the conflict with his son also also strained his relationship with his wife. “Junior’s conduct has caused financial and emotional harm to Senior, leaving him vulnerable during his retirement,” the complaint says.
He sued his son for general damages exceeding $2.5 million, special damages exceeding $750,000, legal fees, punitive damages and other further relief. A jury trial was requested.
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