Actress Mischa Barton filed a lawsuit against her mother in the Los Angeles Superior Court Tuesday, alleging she has withheld her career earnings and exploited her fame, reports USA Today.
Barton rose to prominence in 2003 when she landed a starring role in The O.C., and her mother, Nuala Barton, soon assumed the role of talent manager for her career, a position the actress now claims she “had absolutely no experience or training” in.
Barton’s complaint reads:
This action arises from the tragic tale of a greedy stage mother posing as a talent manager who, instead of acting in the best interest of her daughter/client, schemed to defraud her unsuspecting victim.
The Sixth Sense actress also accuses her mother of sporadically taking an allowance and urging her to buy a $7.8 million Beverly Hills home. The mother also allegedly structured the investment to give herself half-ownership of the estate.
Barton also claims her mother lied about her compensation for acting in the film The Hoarder so she could pocket the difference, in addition to a management fee she had charged.
Furthermore, the 29-year-old alleges she was unknowingly entered into endorsement contracts without compensation.
These include a Mischa Barton handbag line and fashion boutique.
Barton is seeking unspecified damages, and triple the amount of the court finds her mother to have withheld, according to The Hollywood Reporter.
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