Celebrities who have sued their own parents

In 2019, the singer filed a lawsuit claiming her father, Ronald Fenty, exploited her name without her permission. She asked for an injunction against him, as well as unspecified damages. She alleges he used his company Fenty Entertainment to overstate his connection to her. Despite not being her agent or having the right to speak on her behalf, she claims he booked her a US$15 million overseas tour without consulting her.

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Macaulay Culkin - A millionaire by age 12, Culkin's fortune became a central issue in a custody battle after his parents divorced when Culkin was a teenager.

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Macaulay Culkin - Culkin's mother reportedly tried to use part of his US$17 million to buy an apartment, so he filed a petition to remove both his parents as his legal guardians. His mother eventually won custody and Culkin stayed in her care until he turned 18.

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LeAnn Rimes - When she was still a teenager, the country star filed a lawsuit in which she accused her father and a former comanager of cheating her out of US$7 million.

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LeAnn Rimes - She claimed the two men swindled her of up to 30% of her income "by duplicating and augmenting management/producer fees and practicing improper business tactics," according to MTV News.

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Kardashian sisters - Kim, Khloé, and Kourtney Kardashian filed a lawsuit against their step mother, Ellen Pearson, for a series of civil offenses, including defamation and civil harassment.

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Kardashian sisters - In addition, the sisters also contended that their late father's wife attempted to sell pages of his personal diary to the media. Pearson then filed a lawsuit against the Kardashians for libel and slander. They eventually reached a settlement.

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Ariel Winter - The 'Modern Family' star accused her mother in 2012 of physical and emotional abuse.

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Ariel Winter - In 2015, at 17-years-old, the actor was granted emancipation from her mother.

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Jena Malone - In 1999, when the actor was just 14, she filed a lawsuit against her mother for living off her money and mismanaging her earnings, the Los Angeles Times reported.

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Jena Malone - The teenager also filed a suit in Los Angeles Superior Court in which she accused her mother of misusing more than US$1 million, according to the same article.

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Aaron Carter - In the early 2000s when he was at the height of his career, Carter accused his mother and then-manager of misappropriating more US$100,000 from his bank account.

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Aaron Carter - In December 2003, he filed for emancipation, but later reconciled with his mom.

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Leighton Meester - The 'Gossip Girls' star filed a lawsuit against her mother in 2011 on the grounds that she was misspending money Meester had been sending for the care of her brother. The suit alleged that the actor's mother had been using the monthly US$7,500 on cosmetic procedures, like botox and hair extensions, according to People.

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Leighton Meester - This wasn't her mother's first brush with legal trouble. In the 1980s, she was convicted of assisting a drug ring in smuggling drugs between the US and Jamaica. She gave birth to Meester in jail, according to Fox News.

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Jackie Coogan - The young star, who famously starred next to Charles Chaplin in 'The Kid' (1921), sued his parents in 1938 for spending most of his US$4 million fortune. They eventually settled out of court for about $150,000.

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Jackie Coogan - Coogan's case led to the passage of the California Child Actors Bill, also known as the Coogan Act, which protects a portion of child performers' earnings through a trust fund.

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Mischa Barton - The actor sued her mother in 2015 on accusations that she had stolen money Barton had earned through her acting career. Barton also contended that her mother kicked her out of her Beverly Hills home, which she had purchased.

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Mischa Barton - The former 'The O.C.' actor dropped the suit in 2016.

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Corey Feldman -

The popular 1980s actor who appeared in 'The Goonies' (1985), 'Stand by Me' (1986), and 'The Lost Boys' (1987) sought emancipation from his parents on grounds that they had dipped into his earnings.

Getty Images

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Corey Feldman - In turn, his father sued Feldman over the remaining US$40,000 from the US$1 million that the actor said should have been in his trust fund. The actor's father reportedly said that he was entitled to his son's money because he couldn't work while accompanying his son on set.

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Gary Coleman - The actor best known for his role as Arnold Jackson in 'Diff'rent Strokes' filed a lawsuit against his parents over his earnings from the popular TV series.

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Gary Coleman - In 1993, a judge ruled that Coleman be awarded US$1.3 million.

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Billy Unger - The actor known for his role in the Disney XD series 'Lab Rats' sued his father in 2015 on accusations that the man used his income for his own benefit, including paying his girlfriend's rent.

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Billy Unger - The lawsuit also claimed that the actor's father was taking 33% commission despite the industry standard being between 10 and 20%.

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Chris Warren Jr. - The 'High School Musical' actor filed a lawsuit against his parents in 2013 for allegedly misappropriating the fortune he made during his childhood career.

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Chris Warren Jr. - The suit contends that the actor's parents denied Warren Jr. access to his trust fund when he turned 21, which led to their admission that they had spent most of his money.

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Kobe Bryant - The former basketball star took his parents to court in an attempt to keep them from auctioning off valuable memorabilia.

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Kobe Bryant - They reached a settlement in 2013, which allowed the parents to sell his items, equivalent to 10% of the memorabilia. The parents issued a public apology over the case.

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Tiffany Darwish - The former teen icon sued her mother for emancipation in 1988 in an attempt to prevent her mother from controlling her assets.

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Tiffany Darwish -

The two settled the case in order to avoid an expensive trial, according to the Los Angeles Times.

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Celebrities who have sued their own parents

Rihanna has dropped the lawsuit against her father

09/09/21 | StarsInsider

CELEBRITY Lawsuits

Business and family matters sometimes get mixed up, and it rarely ever ends up going smoothly. This is no rare occurrence in the world of celebrities. Issues often reach a point in which legal actions are required.

Rihanna has been involved in an ongoing legal battle against her father and his business partner for several years. However, the pop star has reportedly dropped the lawsuit just weeks before they were due to appear in court. Documents obtained by Radar Online suggest that they managed to reach a settlement out of court at the last minute.

Click through this gallery to learn more and meet the other celebrities who have sued their parents.