Mischa Barton’s Mom|Files for Bankruptcy

LOS ANGELES (CN) - Mischa Barton's mother - whom the actress sued last year, accusing her of defrauding her of acting fees and her interest in a Beverly Hills Home - has filed for bankruptcy, listing her daughter as a creditor but claiming to owe her nothing.

Nuala Barton, who once represented the actress and model as her talent agent, filed a voluntary petition for bankruptcy on Feb. 3. The petition states liabilities of up to $10 million, with Mischa Barton as a creditor.

On page 4 of the document, however, Nuala says the nature of her daughter's unsecured claim is a business debt of $0. The filing states that the claim is in dispute.

The largest unsecured claims are $4,264,567 from creditor DB Private Wealth Mortgage Ltd. of New York; and $1,220,000 to Strategic Emerging Economics Inc. of Encino, Calif.

Nuala says she has assets of $0 to $50,000. Her attorney Eliza Ghanooni did not immediately respond to an email requesting comment Friday.

Mischa Barton sued her mother in Superior Court in April last year, claiming her mother defrauded her of acting fees and her interest in a $7.8 million Beverly Hills house. She alleged breach of fiduciary duty, fraudulent misrepresentation, breach of oral contract and conversion.

The lawsuit calls Nuala a "greedy stage mother" who posed as a talent agent and "schemed to defraud her unsuspecting victim."

Mischa claimed that the Beverly Hills residence had been acquired with her money but that Nuala and her father Paul Barton would not allow her on the property.

Her mother withheld her daughter's earnings for modeling and acting and traded on Barton's name to create a line of handbags and a fashion boutique, Mischa said.

The British-American model and actress appeared in box office hits "Notting Hill" and "The Sixth Sense" before starring in the Fox teen drama "The O.C." as Marissa Cooper, a role that made her famous.

She is represented by Alex Weingarten, who did not immediately respond to requests for comment by phone and email.

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