Updates to our Terms of Use

We are updating our Terms of Use. Please carefully review the updated Terms before proceeding to our website.

Thursday, March 28, 2024 | Back issues
Courthouse News Service Courthouse News Service

Voice of Doc McStuffins|Says Disney Owes Her

LOS ANGELES (CN) — The voice of Disney's Doc McStuffins, Kiara Muhammad, has sued the network its studio, claiming they shorted her on her promised 2.5 percent of merchandising profits.

Kiara's guardian Anitra Muhammad sued Studiopolis and Disney Character Voices on Tuesday in Superior Court.

For the first 2½ seasons, Muhammad voiced the character of Dottie McStuffins, a 7-year-old girl who wants to be a doctor, like her mother. Whenever she puts on a stethoscope, magic happens: Her toys and stuffed animals come to life and she treats their ailments.

Muhammad, now 17, began working for Disney in October 2010 as a voiceover actor for a number of single-day recording sessions. Each day she would sign a new contract and be terminated at the end of the day.

In 2011, she began work on "Doc McStuffins." For the first season, she was paid a flat fee of $5,000 for her work from April 18 to May 17. Seasons 2 and 2.5 were recorded in 2013 and her new contract stipulated that in exchange for Disney's receiving rights to her name, voice and likeness in perpetuity, she was to receive 2.5 percent of the net merchandising sales, according to the complaint.

Online sites available through Google, including Amazon, advertise for sale Dottie McStuffins dolls, figurines, play sets, lunch boxes, shoes, purses, nail kits, lawn chairs, laundry baskets and a host of other goods.

Muhammad says she has not received a dime from merchandising sales, nor has Disney shown her any accounting of those sales.

The contracts she signed require that disputes over less than $250,000 must to go to arbitration, "however, this matter is in excess of $250,000," she says in the complaint.

Muhammad has gone on to appear on several TV shows, including "NCIS," "Curb Your Enthusiasm," and "Ray Donovan."

She was born in Boston and moved to New York when she was 7 with her parents. She was "discovered" after being cast as Fern in her school's production of "Charlotte's Web." Soon she was auditioning with Disney, and landed a guest role on "Hannah Montana," according to her online biography.

Muhammad seeks an accounting, money owed, plus interest, and damages for breach of contract.

She is represented by Timothy Hall with Hall & Lim in Ventura, who did not respond to a message left on his voice mail seeking comment.

Disney does not comment on pending litigation.

Categories / Uncategorized

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.

Loading...