Manager Says ‘Pirates’ Screenwriter Owes Her

LOS ANGELES (CN) - "Pirates of the Caribbean" screenwriter Terry Rossio's former manager claims in court that Rossio owes him 10 percent commission for his work in the past two years.

Dodie Gold Management and Dodie Herskovitz nee Gold sued Terry Rossio and his company Chamaeleon Productions in Superior Court on July 31.

Best known for his work on the "Pirates" movies, Rossio also worked on screenplays for "The Lone Ranger," "The Legend of Zorro," "Shrek," and Disney's "Aladdin," according to industry website IMDB.com.

Herskovitz says Rossio hired her in February 2002 for the standard 10 percent commission. She says she "diligently" represented him for more than 11 years, helping him get high-paying writing gigs on the blockbuster "Pirates" movies, the Denzel Washington thriller "Déjà Vu," and others.

Their professional relationship ended in March 2013 when Rossio told her he "no longer desired plaintiffs' management services," she says in the complaint. But Rossio still owes her the 10 percent commission from the projects she helped him snag, she says.

Attorneys for Rossio did not respond to a request for comment Tuesday.

Herskovitz wants to look at the books, an accounting, and punitive damages for breach of contract, conversion, unfair business practices and unjust enrichment.

She is represented by Matthew Oster and Anthony King with Wolf, Rifkin, Shapiro, Schulman & Rabkin, who did not return a request for comment Tuesday.

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