Chris Tucker -- Sued Over Netflix Special ... Days Before Release

Chris Tucker should be celebrating this week ... his Netflix stand-up comedy special comes out Friday -- which would be awesome, except for the fact he's getting sued for it.

Comedian Terry Hodges is suing Netflix and Tucker, claiming he's done a ton of work for Tucker on this special -- like editing, writing, acting, and producing -- but hasn't been paid in years. That's right ... YEARS. Hodges says he and Chris started working on the material in 2008!

Hodges says he's racked up $66k in fees, during trips to Philadelphia, L.A., and Atlanta -- and hasn't been regularly paid since 2011. On top of that, he says Tucker promised to make him a co-producer ... which would entitle him to a little back end, but that also fell through.

Tucker's attorney Marty Singer says, "This lawsuit is absurd and completely without merit. We fully expect this case to be thrown out by the court."