He might only have a 10 handicap, but did George Lopez double-bogey when it comes to compensation?
A former manager of the comedian, Ron De Blasio, sued him for breach of contract Thursday, claiming Lopez owes him $600,000 in unpaid commissions and proceeds from his eponymous 2002-07 ABC sitcom, which continues to air in syndication.
De Blasio's complaint states that he worked for Lopez for six years before the actor put an end to their business relationship in 2006. During that time, the duo initially agreed that De Blasio would get a 15 percent cut of the loot from Lopez's professional work and personal appearances that the manager negotiated.
The amount was eventually lowered to 10 percent, but that was in addition to a separate percentage promised to De Blasio from Lopez's sitcom earnings, according to court documents filed in Los Angeles Superior Court. (View the lawsuit.)
Since giving De Blasio the boot, Lopez has "improperly refused to pay De Blasio residuals from all his work" on George Lopez, the suit alleges.
The work De Blasio claims Lopez also owes him money for includes multiple live stand-up performances, a Showtime comedy special, CD and DVD projects and his appearances in the pro Ping-Pong spoof Balls of Fury and the Robert Rodriguez-directed family film The Adventures of Shark Boy and Lava Girl 3-D.
Reps for Lopez and his production company, Encanto Enterprises, which is also named as a defendant, have not yet commented on the suit.
The 46-year-old Lopez also hasn't made any public remarks about his recent ouster as host of the Bob Hope Chrysler Classic golf tournament after being its marquee name for the last two years. His exit leaves Justin Timberlake, who will host the inaugural Justin Timberlake Shriners Hospitals for Children Open in October, as the only Hollywood-minded helmer of a PGA Tour event.
The Palm Springs Desert Sun reported this week that it had received "numerous" letters to the editor complaining about Lopez-as-host, but tournament president Dave Erwin said that, while they were aware of the complaints, they weren't a major factor in the decision to switch it up.
"We have agreed to move in a different direction for the 50th anniversary of the Bob Hope Chrysler Classic," Erwin said Thursday. "We would like to thank George for the two years of selfless and dedicated service he gave the Classic. He has an open invitation to participate as long as he wants."
Regardless, Lopez never seems to be away from the links for long. He teed off just last week at the Toshiba Classic Pro-Am in Newport Beach, Calif., shooting a 17-under-par 54 along with four other amateurs and PGA veteran Lee Trevino in the tourney's best-ball format.
"It was a dare that I had in 1981, me and my friend Ernie," Lopez told the L.A. Times, recalling his introduction to the sport. "It was Christmas day, 1981, and we said ‘Let’s go learn how to play golf.’ We rented clubs and we tried to kill every ball that we hit. We talked, had a couple of beers and that was it. I don’t think I’ve ever disconnected from golf since then."