"Black Lightning" executive producer Salim Akil is being investigated by Warner Bros Television after a woman - who is not his wife - filed a domestic violence lawsuit against him. Details inside...
Warner Bros Television just opened up an investigation on "Black Lightning" EP Salim Akil after a woman pulled the trigger on a domestic violence lawsuit against him. And it isn't his wife.
An actress named Amber Dixon Brenner is suing the famed producer/director/screenwriter for domestic violence, sexual abuse and breach of contract after filing the paperwork in the Los Angeles Superior Court last month. She accuses Akil of repeated “non-consensual assault and battery.” And get this...
She claims she and Akil have been lovers for over a decade up until 2017. Whet?! Chile...
If what she's saying is true, that means he has been cheating on his wife, Mara Brock Akil. They tied the knot in 1999.
Not only is she suing Akil, she's also suing Oprah's OWN for copyright infringement. She claims Akil took a screenplay she wrote in 2016 about an abusive relationship to use as the basis for what became the OWN series, "Love Is _."
According to her lawsuit, here's what she claims went down:
Salim Akil committed multiple acts of physical violence and forced sex on Brenner, such as making her perform oral sex on him in the bathroom at a party in which he urinated in her mouth.
Outside his house on Martha’s Vineyard, Brenner says Salim Akil “proceeded to stick three fingers up her anus and started lecturing her.”
There were multiple instances of Akil allegedly slapping and strangling her during sex and refusing to stop when the sexual encounters became painful.
Salim Akil allegedly took sexual pictures of her without her consent.
Brenner says Akil was emotionally and verbally abusive. One time, Salim Akil allegedly threatened her that if she ever got pregnant he would dispose of her in a desert. Another time, Akil allegedly said that if they were married and she cheated on him, “he would stick her hand in a hot skillet of grease.”
She's suing for compensatory damages, emotional distress, attorney fees and punitive damages.
After the allegations made against the "Black Lightning" showrunner came to light, Warner Bros TV has decided to start an investigation on the CW series. According to Deadline, the studio will be conducting an inquiry with cast and crew on the Atlanta filmed show and OWN’s Love Is, where he serves as executive producer.
While the allegations have nothing to do with his role as showrunner, it's standard practice for the studio to launch an investigation in such circumstances. They are trying to address any safety or other concerns on the series by the cast and crew while looking to see if there's any additional information they would like to share.
As of the time of this post, Akil has not been suspended from Black Lightning. The CW and OWN have not revealed whether or not they'll be investigating as well.
Salim Akil has not responded to the allegations as of yet.
EXTRAS:
1. Ex-Dallas police officer Amber Guyger has been indicted on murder charge in the shooting death of unarmed neighbor Botham Jean.STORY
Photo: Getty
