'The O.C.' Mischa Barton Sues Her Mother Nuala Barton for Stealing Money

Mischa Barton may not have been acting for the three seasons she went to war with her mom on the The O.C. because these days Barton is suing her real-life mother. Barton claims her mother stole money from endorsement deals and acting gigs. In the suit, Barton also claims her mother, Nuala Barton, kicked her out of a multimillion-dollar Beverly Hills home that she made with the O.C. The elder Barton served as Mischa's manager for most of her acting career. She was there when Barton took on the O.C. role and her appearances in the movies Notting Hill and the The Sixth Sense.

The suit claims that her mother "exploited" her career accomplishments.

"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 bourgeoning career for her benefit," the lawsuit says.

Barton says her mother withheld royalties and lied about the amount of money she made for a film in 2013. The suit's biggest claim is that her mother never provided important accounting details.

Barton's lawyer Alex Weingarten says her mother also did not compensate her daughter for her image and likeness.

"Nuala did not compensate Barton for the use of her name, image and likeness, nor did she share in any of the profits from these ventures with Barton," Weingarten says. "This is all despite the fact that the businesses were built solely on Barton's fame and popularity."

Suspicions arose when Barton's mom bought a $7.8 million home in 2006 that all came from her daughter's earnings. On top of that, she gave herself sole ownership in the property and took out loans against it.

Since leaving the O.C., Barton has been in several movies but she has found the most success in the fashion world. She has worked for designers in New York and Paris and has her own line of fashion accessories.

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