Actress Alyssa Milano is suing her former business manager for $10 million, accusing him of misconduct that caused her and her talent agent husband to fall into financial disrepair, reported Variety and other entertainment new sites.
Milano has appeared in television hit series such as "Who's The Boss," "Charmed," and "Melrose Place."
The lawsuit, filed Friday in Los Angeles Superior Court, charged that Kenneth Hellie, of Hellie, Hoffer & Co., left her and her husband in "millions of dollars in debt and their credit in ruins," said Variety. Milano is married to talent agent David Bugliari.
The court document charged Hellie with forging her signature on checks, failing to pay overdue bills and taxes, and inducing her to make bad investments in businesses in which he was also an investor, without informing her about the conflict of interest.
The same story has played over and over in Hollywood through the years.
Hellie described the Milano lawsuit as a "Johnny Depp situation," referring to "Pirates of the Caribbean" actor who is suing his financial managers for $25 million for mishandling funds, while they say the actor's lavish lifestyle was the blame, said World Entertainment News Network.
"We anticipated this defense," Ellyn Garofalo said, per WENN. "Nothing could be further from reality. Alyssa and David live a relatively modest lifestyle centered on their family. It is unfortunate that Mr. Hellie finds it appropriate to blame the clients who trusted him rather than take responsibility for his own negligence and misconduct."
Milano charged that her troubles with Hellie started when a home improvement project went bad with ballooning costs estimates, said Variety. The mishap led to a lien and $377,000 in fines. That project ended up costing $5 million, even though the home was worth just $3 million.
The actress eventually fired Hellie last year, but Milano charged that Hellie forged her name on a check for $26,000 for "professional services," said Variety. The actress charged that Hellie had demanded that amount from her but she balked at the request.
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