Octavia Spencer was awarded $940,000 in a Los Angeles Superior Court on Tuesday as part of a default judgment against a weight loss company, Sensa Products Inc., which she claimed wrongfully fired her and still owed her money.
“Good luck in collecting on this case,” Judge Michael Stern told Spencer’s attorneys, after ruling in her favor. “Maybe you can sell the product at a garage sale.”
Spencer, who won an Oscar for “The Help” and stars in the upcoming Kevin Costner movie “Black or White,” filed against Sensa in 2013 for fraud and breach of the covenant of good faith and fair dealing. Judge Stern dismissed the fraud claim, but allowed the good faith one to move forward.
According to the filing, the actress passed on a $3 million offer from another company so that she could sign a $1.25 million deal with Sensa. She said the reason why she took the lesser offer was because the company agreed to other conditions, including an ad campaign centered around healthy living and not just before-and-after weight loss photos.
Spencer said she lost 20 pounds to fulfilled her side of the agreement, but claimed Sensa did not live up to its obligations. Instead, the company refused to pay her and terminated the contract.
Sensa had filed a counter-suit against Spencer, saying the actress was supposed to be tweeting about the company and her weight-loss progress more regularly. But, the judge dismissed that suit on Tuesday.
City News Service contributed to this report.