Obsession producer sues colleagues over alleged profit share dispute

MUMBAI: The Obsession saga has found a new plot twist, and this one is playing out in court. Producer Leonora Ann Darby has sued Tea Shop Productions co-founders James Harris and Mark Lane, alleging they cut her out of profits and recognition despite an agreement that entitled her to one-third, or 33.3 per cent, of net profits from films she lead-produced.

The lawsuit, filed in California state court on Monday, comes as Obsession has crossed $500 million worldwide on a reported production budget of just $750,000, turning the low-budget thriller into one of the year’s biggest box-office stories.

Darby, who was formally credited as an executive producer, claims she functioned as a lead producer under Tea Shop’s internal definition and played a significant role in shaping and completing the film.

She joined Tea Shop Productions in 2019 as a development and production executive and later became one of the company’s three producers alongside Harris and Lane. Her producing credits include A Banquet (2021), The Surfer (2024) and Tornado (2025).

According to the complaint, Darby’s compensation was renegotiated in 2024, with the parties agreeing that she would receive one-third of net profits from projects she lead-produced, as well as participation in collection account management agreements.

The dispute centres heavily on what happened with Obsession.

Darby allegedly stepped in after the film’s edit was taken away from writer-director Curry Barker and handed to another editor. She pushed for Barker to regain control of the edit, which subsequently happened, and also advocated reshoots to address problems with the film.

The lawsuit further credits her with creative notes on the relationship between the two lead characters, their arcs and the film’s supernatural elements. Her recommendation to fully embrace the supernatural premise, it alleges, helped shape the version of Obsession that audiences eventually saw.

Darby later took a leadership role in getting the film finished in time for the Toronto International Film Festival, where it was sold to Focus Features for $16.2 million, according to the complaint.

The relationship allegedly changed once Obsession became a box-office phenomenon.

Darby claims Harris and Lane excluded her from public recognition, did not invite her to the film’s premiere and indicated that Obsession would be the one project on which she received no continuing participation.

The complaint says Darby raised questions about proceeds from the film’s sale after seeing earnings information through the collection account management arrangements she could access.

Harris eventually offered her an initial payment of $300,000, which Darby says was made with the understanding that she would continue to participate in net profits.

She alleges that her access to the relevant financial information was subsequently withdrawn.

In June, Tea Shop proposed a consulting arrangement, but Darby sought assurances that it would not undermine her claim to the one-third profit share. According to the lawsuit, Lane later told her future compensation from Obsession would be considered at the discretion of Harris and Lane.

Tea Shop subsequently withdrew the consulting proposal and offered a first-look agreement that, according to the complaint, explicitly excluded Darby from Obsession profits.

Darby’s lawsuit frames the Obsession disagreement as part of a wider, years-long dispute over her status and compensation at Tea Shop Productions.

She alleges that promises of equal treatment ultimately translated into the 33.3 per cent economic interest agreed in 2024, while Harris and Lane retained control over the mechanisms through which she could benefit from it.

Her lawyer, Thomas K. Richards of Singh, Singh and Trauben, said Darby had brought “serious and substantial claims” supported by a detailed factual record and intended to pursue the case fully.

Darby is seeking, among other remedies, a full accounting of Obsession and several other projects, along with unpaid profit participation and bonuses she says are owed to her.

Tea Shop Productions and Barker have been approached for comment, according to The Hollywood Reporter.

The legal fight adds an unexpected sequel to Obsession‘s extraordinary run — one where the biggest question is no longer what the film is worth at the box office, but who gets a share of the spoils.