Action star Steven Seagal sued for $60 million
By Lukas I. Alpert, Associated Press Writer, 03/21/2002 NEW YORK (AP) – It appears that action movie star Steven Seagal is “Under Siege” again.
Less than three months after being found guilty of slandering a co-worker, the martial arts star is being sued for $60 million in damages by a former business partner for allegedly backing out of a contract to perform in four motion pictures.
The suit, filed in Richmond County Supreme Court by producer Julius R. Nasso, accuses Seagal of breaching a contract to star in the movies, despite the fact that foreign rights to the films had already been sold for more than $25 million.
According to the suit, Nasso accuses Seagal of backing out of his obligations on the advice of a Buddhist spiritual adviser known as Mukara, who convinced Seagal to disassociate himself from his associates and even his children from two marriages.
The suit, filed Tuesday, asserts Mukara convinced Seagal that he could not become a reincarnated lama, or Tulka, unless he distanced himself from those he had associated with.
Seagal’s publicist, Michelle Bega, said Wednesday that her client had no immediate comment.
Seagal and Nasso first did business together in 1987, when Nasso handled the international marketing of Seagal’s first hit film, “Above the Law,” the suit says.
Nasso and Seagal went on to establish Seagal-Nasso Productions Inc., a joint production company, in 1990 to handle distribution and foreign rights sales of Seagal’s films.
After serving as associate producer for Seagal’s films “Hard to Kill,” “Marked for Death” and “Out for Justice” and executive producer for “Under Siege,” the suit says, the company signed a four-film deal in 1992 with Warner Bros.
In 1997, the suit says, Seagal and Nasso signed a deal to produce four more films.
Over the next year, Nasso says, he spent nearly $2.5 million to obtain literary rights, buy scripts, take out trade ads to announce the films and expenses incurred while selling foreign rights to the four films.
But Nasso charges that without consulting him, Seagal closed the company’s California offices in October 2000.
Nasso claims that Seagal’s failure to fulfill his commitments has resulted in substantial financial losses for Nasso and the company.
In December 2001, a California jury found Seagal guilty of slandering a co-worker but decided he did not have to pay any damages.
Seagal’s last film was “Exit Wounds,” which featured rapper DMX
