Obsession Profit Lawsuit
Producer Sues Tea Shop Productions Over Profits From Horror Hit Obsession
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Key Points
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The 135-page complaint filed in California's LA Superior Court describes a seven-year pattern of unequal treatment and asserts Darby was promised one-third of the net profits on films she lead-produced, along with participation in collection-account management agreements, with those terms renegotiated in 2024.
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Contemporaneous communications reportedly acknowledge that Darby carried Tea Shop Productions’ takeover and was more involved than co-founder Mark Lane, supporting her role as lead producer despite being credited as an executive producer on Obsession.
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Darby allegedly intervened during a troubled post-production period, providing crucial creative and structural notes that helped steer the film back toward Curry Barker’s vision and contributed to Obsession’s final cut.
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Hollywood Reporter notes that Darby’s attorney described the claims as serious and substantial and highlights her broader track record with Tea Shop titles, including A Banquet (2021), The Surfer (2024), and Tornado (2025), as well as the 2024 renegotiation securing a one-third net-profits share for lead-produced films.
Leonora Ann Darby, an executive producer on the horror blockbuster Obsession, has filed a lawsuit in California alleging she was promised equal producer status and a one-third share of net profits — but was shut out after the film grossed over $500 million worldwide The A.V. Club. The suit claims Darby acted as a lead producer and performed critical post-production work that stabilized the film's final cut, yet Tea Shop Productions co-founders James Harris and Mark Lane excluded her from profits TMZ.
The 135-page complaint describes a seven-year pattern of broken compensation promises and unequal treatment Reality Tea. Darby's legal team says contemporaneous communications show she carried Tea Shop's growth and was more involved than co-founder Mark Lane, yet remained credited only as an executive producer on Obsession.
How Darby Helped Save Obsession's Post-Production
During Obsession's troubled post-production period, Darby allegedly stepped in with crucial creative and structural notes Yahoo. Her input helped steer the film back toward director Curry Barker's original vision and shaped the movie's final cut. Without her intervention, the suit implies, Obsession might never have become the cultural hit it is today.
A Seven-Year Track Record of Unequal Pay
The lawsuit paints a picture of systematic undercompensation across multiple Tea Shop Productions films Reality Tea. Darby lead-produced A Banquet (2021), The Surfer (2024), and Tornado (2025), yet says she was consistently denied promised profit shares. In 2024, a renegotiation supposedly secured her one-third net-profits participation on films she lead-produced — but Obsession's massive success prompted Harris and Lane to renege, according to the complaint.
Credit Mismatch Highlights Industry Profit-Sharing Gaps
Darby was credited only as an executive producer on Obsession, not as a lead producer, despite carrying out lead-producer work Yahoo. The discrepancy between title and actual responsibility underscores a broader Hollywood problem: producers often perform labor that exceeds their official credit. Internal communications cited in the suit reportedly confirm Darby's outsized role and justify her claim to a meaningful profit share The A.V. Club.
Tea Shop Productions and Barker Remain Silent
Representatives for Tea Shop Productions and Curry Barker have not publicly responded to Darby's allegations TMZ. The legal battle now turns on whether Darby's claimed one-third profit share was a binding agreement or a loose understanding. With Obsession generating hundreds of millions at the global box office, the stakes — and potential payout — are enormous.
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