Leonora Ann Darby, an executive producer on Curry Barker’s “Obsession,” sued two of her fellow producers Monday, alleging she was cut out of her share of the horror movie’s profits after they reneged on an agreement.
Per the lawsuit, which was filed in California state court, James Harris and Mark Lane, the co-founders of Tea Shop Productions, agreed to treat her as an equal producer, but was allegedly shut out of “Obsession’s” net profit participation, despite her work “rescu[ing]” the movie.
“This action arises from a seven-year pattern of unequal treatment and broken compensation promises by two older male film producers to a younger female producer whose labor was material to the growth of their company and who rescued their biggest film, the global hit ‘Obsession,’” the filing, obtained and viewed by TheWrap, stated.
While Darby was named an executive producer on the horror film, her team argued in Monday’s filing that she served as the lead producer, with the suit highlighting that “Tea Shop’s contemporaneous communications acknowledged that Darby had carried [the company]’s takeover and had been more involved than Lane.”
Representatives for Tea Shop Productions and Barker did not immediately respond to TheWrap’s request for comment.
Darby, who joined Tea Shop Productions in 2019 and produced 2021’s “A Banquet,” 2024’s “The Surfer” and 2025’s “Tornado,” renegotiated her compensation in 2024 after rising to the position of producer alongside Harris and Lane. Darby’s filing claimed that they agreed to give her one third of the net profits for the films she produced as the lead, as well as participation in the film’s collection account arrangements.
According to Darby’s lawsuit, she stepped in after the “Obsession” edit had been taken away from Barker and given to another editor, allegedly making crucial recommendations that led to the film’s success.
“Prior to the film’s festival sale or theatrical success, Darby, as a lead producer, intervened to save the film,” the filing stated. “The editing had been taken away from the writer and director Curry Barker with a new editor employed. There were substantial concerns, because the film was mired in an edit that was not working. Darby then stepped in and provided fundamental and critical creative and structural notes that changed the course of the film. She advocated heavily for the edit to be returned to the director Barker and, in fact, caused the edit to be returned to Barker, greatly enhancing the production process. Darby recommended reshoots to fully realize her notes, which reshoots were conducted and greatly enhanced the film. Darby then assumed principal responsibility for the interconnected post-production, scheduling, credits, legal-clearance, quality-control, and delivery work needed to get the film ready in time for its premiere at the Toronto International Film Festival.”
“Obsession” sold for $16.2 million to Focus Features after it debuted at the Toronto Film Festival, the filing stated.
Darby’s suit has accused Harris and Lane of “repeatedly” breaching and violating their 2024 agreement, in addition to blocking her from getting public recognition. Namely, she was allegedly not invited to the film’s Los Angeles premiere and was told that this “would be the one film on which she received no continuing participation.”
Though the suit confirmed that Tea Shop paid Darby $300,000 from the initial “Obsession” minimum guarantee, they argued that this was “not a settlement, release, buyout, accord and satisfaction, or waiver of future participation.”
It added: “No writing said it was full and final and no release was executed.”
Per the suit, Darby is seeking economic and statutory relief including the payment of her one-third share of “Obsession’s” net profits, a complete accounting, related project compensation, unpaid wages and expenses, as well as relief for retaliation.
“Ms. Darby has brought serious and substantial claims, supported by a detailed factual record,” her attorney, Thomas K. Richards, a partner at Singh, Singh and Trauben, said in a statement to TheWrap. “She is confident in her case and intends to pursue it fully.”
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