‘Empire’ Creator Sued, Woman Claims Hit Show Stole Her Life

Fox’s Empire has been a hit from the get-go. With fame and fortune comes attention, and this time, creator Lee Daniels has received the kind of attention he probably doesn’t want on his hands.

According to TMZ, a woman is suing Daniels for allegedly stealing her life story and putting it in a show for all to see. According to the report, the woman is suing the creator for an estimated $300 million for taking her life story.

The woman’s name is Sophia Eggleston, and right now, she’s claiming that she embodies the “Cookie” character played by Taraji P. Henson. Cookie Lyon is the estranged wife of music mogul Lucious Lyon, who is released from prison after serving many years behind bars for putting a hit on someone. Although it’s highly unlikely that she’s married to a music mogul, Eggleston revealed that she did serve time behind bars for the same crime that Cookie committed.

That said, Eggleston claims that she does wear mink coats, which is a trademark of Cookie’s, as well. So, if this is to be believed, how did Daniels get a hold of Eggleston’s life? Well, according to the report, Eggleston sent a copy of her autobiography to a screenwriter. After some time passed, the screenwriter called Eggleston up and notified her that she was pitching the book to The Butler director Lee Daniels.

As it turns out, Sophia will be representing herself if the case ever goes to trial. So far, Lee Daniels hasn’t responded to this new allegation. This isn’t the only time the origin story of Empire was questioned.

Music mogul P Diddy is currently suing Empire for stealing his life story. As the Inquisitr reported, Diddy told Celebtricity the following in an interview.

“It’s basically my life except the ALS stuff. All the homosexuality and everything that’s pretty much been done too. They might as well have called it ‘Breaking Bad Boy’…

… They basically are detailing everything I had to go through: the shootouts, working with Timbaland, and divas going to prison. I mean, all of it. I think they might owe me some royalties. You can’t just put out the ‘Sean Combs Biography’ without paying me and I’m filing a million dollar lawsuit.”

In addition to his own claim, P. Diddy is forbidding his son, Quincy, from appearing on the show after he was offered a role.

That said, do you think these lawsuits have any merit, or are these people twisting tales for their own personal gain?

[Photo by Fox]