Mischa Barton Sues Her Mother, Claiming she Stole her Money

LOS ANGELES - Actress Mischa Barton ("The O.C.") has sued her mother Nuala, claiming she stole millions of her earnings.

In the lawsuit filed on today in Los Angeles Superior Court, Barton claims that the elder Barton “committed a series of egregious acts to intentionally exploit and harm her own daughter” while she was representing her as her manager.

Mischa Barton alleged that she had an oral agreement with her mother beginning when she was 8, giving Nuala Barton a 10 percent management fee. The suit also claims that her mother created limited liability companies to control her income and giving Mischa Barton an “‘allowance’ at her sole discretion and on a sporadic basis.

But Mischa Barton alleged her mother induced her to purchase a $7.8 million home in Beverly Hills and granted herself a 50 percent interest in the property and then burdened it with two deeds of trust without providing her with documentation. The lawsuit also claims that Nuala Barton withheld compensation for acting, modeling and endorsements, and then lied to her by claiming that Barton’s work on the 2014 film “The Hoarder” was far less than was actually negotiated and that Nuala Barton kept the difference.

The lawsuit also claims that Nuala Barton exploited her name to create side businesses such as the Mischa Barton handbag line and a Mischa Barton fashion boutique without compensating her.