‘The O.C.’ Star Mischa Barton Sued Her Mom For Being a ‘Greedy Stage Mother’
Dysfunctional relationships between child Hollywood stars and their parents are quite prevalent, and Mischa Barton is the latest celebrity to be locked in a blood feud with the mother. Barton had filed a lawsuit against her mother, Naula Barton, for allegedly stealing her money and exploiting her fame for commercial purposes.
Alex Weingarten, Barton’s lawyer, referred to Naula as a ‘greedy stage mother.’ In the lawsuit, the actor further seeks compensation of $25 million for unspecified damages.
Barton rose to fame as a child
In 1994, when Barton was only eight years she appeared in Tony Kushner’s play, Slavs! The role marked the start of her acting career, which made her eligible for other shows. Later, the actor made a screen debut on the All My Children soap opera. Barton has appeared in other major films such as Notting Hill, Lawn Dogs, The Sixth Sense, and The Hills. Throughout her career, her mother, Naula, has been acting as her talent manager.
Her Role in ‘The O.C.’
When Barton was 17 years old, she started acting as Marissa Cooper on The O.C. However, she later exited the show after the 3rd season, after her character was killed off. Barton claimed in an interview with InStyle that she would love to resurrect her character as Cooper on The O.C.
Barton struggled to secure decorated acting gigs and began using substances after exiting Fox’s drama movie, The O.C. In 2007, she was arrested for a DUI, and the judge imposed a sentence of three years of alcohol treatment and probation. In 2009, Barton was taken from her residence by police and hospitalized for two weeks, as reported by TMZ.
Barton sues her ‘Greedy Stage Mother’
According to Barton’s lawyer, Naula took over the actor’s talent manager role, which Naula had no experience or knowledge. The role positioned Naula in an excellent spot to siphon Barton’s finances and use her name for fraudulent endorsements.
Barton claims Naula withheld her compensation from the acting gigs in the Los Angeles Superior Court lawsuit. Naula concealed the compensation amount from the horror movie, The Hoarder and pocketed some of the money, according to the Los Angeles Times. Barton further claims, her mother threw her out of the $7.8 million home in Beverly Hills, which she allegedly bought with the actor’s money.
Other accusations on the lawsuit include Naula exploiting Barton’s fame to launch businesses. Naula launched a handbag line in Barton’s name without consulting or compensating the actor.
Barton dismissed the case against her mother
Nuala defended herself and claimed the allegations leveled against her are defamatory and lack material facts. The actor’s mom requested for the trimming of the lawsuit. On February 8, 2016, Barton requested the Los Angeles Superior Court dismiss the accusations against her mother. In the dismissal request, the actor requested the judge to drop all action causes for the case.
However, Barton dismissed the case without prejudice, giving her authority to refile the case in future. The actor is not new to controversies, and her party and personal life have managed to make headlines over the last couple of years.
In 2017, the actor was involved in messy court battles with her ex-boyfriends, Adam Spaw and Jon Zacharias. According to a Huffington Post, Zacharias recorded pornographic images and videos of the actor and was threatening to release them. Barton won the court case when the court blocked the ex-boyfriend from selling the sex tapes. Her lawyer, Lisa Bloom, commented that the revenge porn lawsuit ended victoriously.
