Country singer Garth Brooks is being sued by his ex-partner for $425,000.
In a lawsuit filed this week in Los Angeles, Brooks' former production partner, Lisa Sanderson, claims she is owed compensation for work with the singer and that he ruined potential movie and television deals costing them millions.
According to the complaint, Sanderson left her employer to begin working for Brooks in '94 under the promise she would split all producer fees paid to his new entertainment company, Red Strokes, in connection with film and TV projects developed and produced 50-50.
In addition, Sanderson claims Brooks promised she would receive $250,000 bonus for "her loyalty and years of service" to him and the Red Strokes in the event the entertainment company ceased operation.
Sanderson says she worked with Brooks for 20 years helping the country music singer gain work on both television and film.
According to the suit, she helped Brooks get a part on "Golden Girls" spinoff "Empty Nests" during one of its final years in '94 and placed Brooks' songs in motion pictures including "To Make You Feel My Love" in "Hope Floats."
Sanderson claims she never received any of her 50% share of the producer fee, and after May 2011, stopped receiving compensation from the Red Strokes, referring to the singer as a "paranoid, angry, deceitful and vindictive man who will turn against those closest to him on a dime."
According to Sanderson, Brooks "ruined every potential motion picture deal" that came to Red Strokes who had a development deal with Disney for live-action and animated films.
Here are a few of the movies Brooks allegedly passed on:
1. "Saving Private Ryan"
Brooks supposedly turned down a role as a sniper in the Steven Spielberg film because he "wanted to be the star" and didn't want to share the spotlight with Tom Hanks and Matt Damon and didn't believe anyone "would ever want to see that movie."
2. "Twister"
Spielberg then supposedly sent the script for the 1996 Oscar-nominated film Brooks' way, but he turned it down because he wouldn't be front and center saying "the star of the film was the tornado."
3. Disney's $1 billion "Alice in Wonderland"
Brooks was set to be a producer on the Tim Burton film alongside Sanderson and record a song for the soundtrack until he demanded to co-write the script with Linda Woolverton.
Sanderson is suing for breach of oral contract and fraud for unpaid salary, bonuses, and punitive damages for a total of $425,000.
Read the entire lawsuit below:
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