Zooey Deschanel Sues Steve Madden For Breaching Contract

Actress and singer Zooey Deschanel sued shoe maven Steve Madden for stiffing her out of a couple million in an endorsement deal she agreed to over the summer.

The complaint, filed in Los Angeles Superior Court on Friday and obtained by E! Online,  accuses Steve Madden for failing to pay for $1.5 million plus royalties as promised to the indie darling in a verbal contract.

"No reason was given" when Steve Madden Ltd. "refused to pay" the fee, the documents detail.

The "500 Days of Summer" star, on the other hand, claims she held up her end of the bargain, making appearances and allowing the shoe company to use her name in attachment to their products. A tentative name for a line of shoes was "Zooey's shoes and accessories."

The documents also report that the She and Him singer allegedly turned down other deals in order to put the time in for the gig, and that the contract began at $2 million and was negotiated down to $1.5 million.

Steve Madden was in another sticky situation a year ago, when designer Balenciaga sued the shoe company for copyright infringement when Steve Madden came out with a colorful pump that looked a lot like their multicolor lego heels.

Calls to Steve Madden by The Hollywood Reporter and TMZ have not yet been returned, according to the two publications.

Selected Reading: The Hollywood Reporter, TMZ, E! Online

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