Mischa Barton Suing "Greedy Stage Mother" for Stealing All Her Money
Mischa Barton, otherwise known as The O.C.'s Marissa Cooper (RIP), is suing her mom in real life for stealing her earnings, using her name to sell goods without permission, and even taking over her Beverly Hills mansion. The suit characterizes Nuala Barton as a "greedy stage mother." Coooop!
The suit, filed Tuesday, is truly gnarly. Mischa claims that her mom has been lying to her about her earnings so that she can pocket the difference herself. According to TMZ:
In the docs, Mischa says Nuala told her she was being paid a certain amount [for the upcoming film The Hoarder] but eventually found out from the production company her salary was higher than that number. She says Nuala took the difference for herself ... and also took a 10% management fee.
Additionally, Mischa claims in the suit that her mom used her name to create a handbag line and open a fashion boutique in London. Mischa says her mom kept all the profits from these ventures for herself.
The worst of it, perhaps, is that Mischa claims in the suit that her mom and dad have kicked her out of her own home. Per TMZ, Mischa says "her mother rigged the paperwork to give herself co-ownership of the 8 bedroom, 11 bath mansion. According to the suit, Nuala even took out loans against the property—and then kicked her out of her own home. She says her mom and dad are now 'comfortably' entrenched in the mansion."
Mischa's attorney Alex Weingarten tells Us Weekly:
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. From the outset, Nuala positioned herself to siphon her daughter's hard-earned money by purportedly acting as her talent manager—a role for which Nuala had absolutely no experience or training.
A tragic tale, indeed. And one that was predicted, so many years ago, during season two of The O.C.:
Paging Summer Roberts: Can Coop stay at your house for a little bit?
