The Equalizer 3 Director Antoine Fuqua Faces Explosive Legal Battle with Long-Time Consultant

Summary

The director of The Equalizer 3, Antoine Fuqua, is being sued for not giving proper credit to one of the film's consultants.

Consultant Paul Lozada alleges that, despite being tasked with advising on multiple aspects of the film, he was neither given credit nor compensated as initially agreed upon. The timing of the lawsuit is particularly challenging for Fuqua, as it sheds light on the exploitation problems experienced by individuals working in the film industry, which are already being underscored by the ongoing strikes.

The director of The Equalizer 3, Antoine Fuqua, is facing a lawsuit for failing to give credit to one of the film's consultants. The film, starring Denzel Washington, Dakota Fanning, and David Denman, follows the story of Robert McCall whose peaceful life in Southern Italy is disrupted when he discovers that his friends are under the control of the local mafia. The lawsuit, filed by Paul Lozada, accuses Fuqua of breaching an oral contract, an implied-in-fact contract, and committing promissory fraud by not properly crediting and compensating Lozada for his consultation on the film.

The Equalizer 3 Lawsuit Is Not Well-Timed for Fuqua

According to Lozada's claim, Fuqua asked the consultant to provide expertise on various aspects of The Equalizer 3, including the Italian mafia, drug trade, and more. Fuqua apparently assured Lozada that he would be a valuable member of the team and that he would be compensated by a Sony Pictures Entertainment employee. However, Fuqua abruptly ended communication with Lozada, sending hostile messages such as "I don't owe you anything."

To add to the situation, this is not the first time Lozada and Fuqua have collaborated. They have been working together since Training Day, where Lozada provided consultation on law enforcement. They also collaborated on the first Equalizer film, which explains why Lozada would be consulted for the latest sequel.

Amid the ongoing strikes by both the WGA and SAG-AFTRA, this development presents a bleak situation for Fuqua. Although Lozada is not involved in writing or acting, his allegations, if proven true, reveal the extent of the exploitation he experienced during the making of The Equalizer 3. Regrettably, this places him among the numerous professionals in the film industry who have fallen victim to the practices of studios and prominent directors, a distressing reality that Hollywood confronts on a daily basis.