‘Black Lightning’ EP Salim Akil Says Abuse Claims “Totally Untrue”

Four days after accusations of domestic violence and copyright infringement emerged against Black Lightning showrunner Salim Akil, attorneys for the EP today categorically deny the allegations.

Said attorney Stephen D. Barnes of law firm Barnes, Morris, Klein, & Yorn in a statement given to Deadline: “These allegations are deeply upsetting – but they are also totally untrue. We will defend Salim to the fullest against the false and offensive claims that a woman with whom he had a past relationship has included in multiple unsubstantiated lawsuits. Salim looks forward to clearing his name and to being able to focus on his work and his family.”

In a complaint filed in Los Angeles Superior Court on November 20, actor Amber Dixon Brenner accuses Akil of repeated “non-consensual assault and battery.” As well as claiming breach of contract over a screenplay that Akil is alleged to have reappropriated, Brenner says that she and the married EP were lovers for over a decade up until 2017.

Since the accusations have emerged, Warner Bros TV has started an investigation on the CW series.

Brenner is also suing the Akils and Oprah’s OWN in federal court for copyright infringement. The allegation is that the EP took a 2016 screenplay of hers about an abusive relationship to use as the basis for what became the OWN series, Love Is, produced by Warner Horizon TV.

The CW and OWN have not responded to requests if they have opened an investigation into the abuse allegations or otherwise themselves. Defendants in the federal copyright infringement case have until December 28 to respond formally to Brenner’s filing.