Star Too Vague in Money Fight With Parents

(CN) - "High School Musical" actor Chris Warren Jr. can't yet collect a judgment against his parents who supposedly spent almost all his money, a California appeals court ruled.

Warren, who played Zeke Baylor in all three "High School Musical" movies, says his parents Brook Kerr and Chris Warren Sr. used the "vast majority" of the earnings from his acting career.

Warren, 25, also sued Share the Night Inc., the family loan-out corporation his parents formed in 2001.

After Warren turned 18 in 2008, he continued to place his earnings into the company, which paid his expenses.

However, in 2011, Share the Night refused Warren's request for a salary. Warren says he learned at that point that his parents had spent most of his money.

Warren sued his parents in 2012 for accounting, breach of fiduciary duty and breach of contract. His mother was in the process of divorcing his father at nearly the same time.

After the defendants failed to answer the complaint, the court entered a default judgment against them in the amount of $338,096.

Warren's father and Share the Night moved to set aside the default judgment, arguing that Warren had failed to give notice of damages. The trial court denied the motion.

However, the Los Angeles-based Second Appellate District overturned the decision in an opinion written by Judge Richard D. Aldrich.

He wrote that Warren's father raised an issue of fact over whether he had access to the information regarding how much money his son felt he was owed.

"Kerr essentially cut Warren Sr. off financially by, for example, blocking his access to jointly held accounts, turning off his cellphone, failing to pay his credit cards and colluding with Warren Jr. against Warren Sr.," Aldrich wrote in the 8-page opinion.

He added that Warren did not present his parents with a specific amount he claimed they owed him.

"The complaint's only possible reference to damages was a vague statement that 'hundreds of thousands of dollars had been spent on Kerr and Warren Sr. in derogation of their fiduciary duties' to Warren Jr.," Aldrich stated, reversing both the default judgment and the trial court's denial of the request to set it aside.

In addition to the High School Musical films, Warren has appeared in the movie "Love and Basketball" and the TV series "The Fosters" and "The Hard Times of RJ Berger."

Subscribe to Closing Arguments

Sign up for new weekly newsletter Closing Arguments to get the latest about ongoing trials, major litigation and hot cases and rulings in courthouses around the U.S. and the world.

Email *

Submit