LOS ANGELES — Mischa Barton has sued her mother, alleging she stole money that the former star of the television series “The O.C.” earned throughout her career and made endorsement deals that damaged the actress’s reputation.
The lawsuit filed Tuesday in Los Angeles also accuses Nuala Barton of kicking her daughter out of a multimillion-dollar Beverly Hills home that was purchased with money earned while Mischa Barton was a child actress.
Mischa Barton was 17 when she began working on “The O.C.” and already had appeared in the films “Notting Hill” and “The Sixth Sense.”
Nuala Barton served as her daughter’s manager throughout her career. The lawsuit accuses Nuala Barton of bullying her daughter, and states she has been fired from her management role.
“While Barton was busy perfecting her craft and turning her acting dreams into reality, her mother, defendant Nuala Barton, was secretly scheming to exploit Barton’s burgeoning career for her benefit,” the lawsuit states.
A message left at a phone number listed for Nuala Barton was not immediately returned.
The lawsuit also claims the mother is withholding royalties and lied about the amount the actress was paid for a 2013 film so she could pocket the difference, in addition to her 10 percent management fee.
The lawsuit contends some of the endorsements were entered without the actress’s permission, and she wasn’t properly paid for the use of her name and likeness in connection with a handbag line and a London boutique.
– From news service reports
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