Salim Akil and his wife Mara Brock Akil have been behind some of the biggest Black television of the last generation, including Girlfriends, Being Mary Jane and The Game. Now Salim is facing a lawsuit from someone else entirely.
According to a complaint filed in California last week, a woman named Amber says she was in a relationship with the director for about ten years. The suit accuses Akil of domestic violence and breach of contract. Court filings reported by outlets including Jezebel and The Source describe allegations of physical and sexual abuse. Those are claims made in a lawsuit. They are allegations only, and no court has made any finding.
The second part of the suit centers on a script. Amber claims she wrote a project in 2015 and says parts of her work ended up in the OWN series Love Is_, which Akil created and which is loosely inspired by how he and Mara met. That claim has yet to be tested in court.
Amber is seeking compensatory damages, damages for emotional distress, attorney fees and punitive damages. The complaint does not list a specific dollar amount.
Baller Alert has not seen a response from Akil to the lawsuit. We will share his side if he speaks out.
