Mischa Barton, the winner of two Teen Choice awards for her portrayal of poor little Newport Beach rich girl Marissa Cooper on The O.C., is suing her talent-manager mother for allegedly stealing money, including during the actress' 2003-06 run on the Fox teen soaper.
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14 episodes of The O.C. in 1,260 words
For instance, in now 29-year-old Barton's lawsuit filed in Los Angeles Superior Court on Tuesday, she alleges Nuala Barton induced her to buy a Beverly Hills home for $7.8 million in 2006 and “represented to Barton that the lavish home would be a vehicle for which Barton could invest her growing income for acting services.”
But the actress' complaint claims her mother structured the purchase to assign herself half-ownership of the property and that Nuala and Barton's father Paul currently reside comfortably in the home while Mischa “is not welcome at the property.”
The complaint by Barton, who is represented by Los Angeles attorney Alex Weingarten, casts Nuala as a “greedy stage mother” and untrained talent manager who “forged documents” and turned her daughter's money “into her own ATM. … Tragically, Barton placed her utmost trust in Nuala and believed that her mother would look out for her best interests above all else.”
The suit includes claims of breach of fiduciary duty, breach of oral contract and conversion and seeks unspecified damages.
Nuala Barton's attorney Lawrence Ecoff gave a statement saying neither he nor his client had received the complaint Tuesday and that they declined to comment.
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