ATLANTA, Jan. 25 (UPI) -- Movie producer Tyler Perry says he does not owe nearly $200,000 to contractors for work on his Atlanta home or movie studio.
While six construction firms have already filed liens against the "Diary of a Mad Black Woman" producer's 30,000-square-foot home and studio, Perry maintains he only withheld payment for low-quality work or undocumented charges, The Atlanta Journal-Constitution reported Sunday.
"I pride myself on taking care of my business," Perry said. "I pride myself on being able to pay the bills."
Some of the contractors seeking payments from the 39-year-old producer claim Perry simply refused to pay their final invoices for no apparent reason, while others cited his dissatisfaction with their work.
Perry, whose movie studio was the first opened by an African-American, told the Journal-Constitution he is not "sympathetic" to the contractors' demands for payment given his take on the construction work.
"I'm not sympathetic to anybody who's trying to rip me off," the creator of the U.S. TV series "House of Payne" said. "Just because I'm a Christian, just because I'm a nice guy, it doesn't mean I'm a wimp."
