Mischa Barton Sues Mom, Calls Her a 'Greedy Stage Mother'
Barton was 8 when her mom, Nuala, became her manager.
— -- Actress Mischa Barton is locked in a bitter battle with her mother, taking her to court and claiming she stole money from Barton and made endorsement deals that damaged the star's reputation.
Barton’s mother, Nuala Barton, began acting as "The O.C.” star’s manager when her daughter was 8. Barton is now 29.
The lawsuit, filed in the Los Angeles Superior Court, sues Nuala Barton for, among other things, fraudulent misrepresentation and breach of fiduciary duty, calling Nuala a “greedy stage mother…who schemed to defraud her unsuspecting victim” to exploit her daughter’s career “for her own selfish benefit.”
Barton’s lawsuit against her mother alleges that Nuala withheld compensation from Barton, even lying about the salary Barton was receiving for the horror movie “The Hoarder,” ”so that she could pocket the difference.”
The suit also claims that Nuala exploited Barton’s fame to profit from side businesses for which Barton claims she was not compensated.
“We brought this action on behalf of our client Mischa Barton against Nuala Barton so that Mischa can get closure to move on with her career and to get to the bottom of what happened to all of her money,” Barton’s attorney, Alex Weingarten, told ABC News.
A representative for Nuala Barton responded to her daughter’s claims in a statement to ABC News, saying, “Ms. Barton is extremely troubled by such outrageous and patently false claims of dishonest or improper conduct against Mischa Barton.”
Barton went through a rough patch after skyrocketing to fame in the early 2000s on "The O.C.” The actress was arrested in 2007 and pled no contest to driving under the influence.
“She was one very hot rising starlet,” celebrity author and publicist Mike Levine told ABC News. “And someone who lost a big opportunity.”
Barton is seeking unspecified damages in the lawsuit.