Actor Erik von Detten, who became a familiar face in Disney films and television productions during the 1990s and early 2000s, is facing a lawsuit alleging financial elder abuse and fraud.
The lawsuit, reviewed by The Epoch Times, was filed on May 11 in Los Angeles County Superior Court and names the 44-year-old along with precious metals company Rosland Capital LLC, where he worked as an account representative.
In the suit, plaintiffs Sheila Greenberg, 85, and her husband, Norman Greenberg, 97, allege that they lost more than $900,000 after purchasing gold coins through the company.
According to the complaint, the couple first contacted Rosland Capital in 2020 after seeing the company’s television advertisements promoting precious metals as a way to protect wealth against economic uncertainty. They were connected with von Detten, who allegedly advised them on purchasing gold for their retirement accounts.
The Greenbergs claim they relied on his guidance while making a series of investments between 2020 and 2021.
“He [von Detten] essentially told Sheila and Norman to just leave the decision making up to him as he would put them in the correct products and guide them through the process of rolling over funds from their traditional IRA accounts,” read the lawsuit.
Their complaint alleges that they spent approximately $2.15 million on gold coins valued at roughly $1.36 million. The couple also claims they invested an additional $114,000 through a family trust.
The plaintiffs contend that they were inexperienced in precious metals investing and trusted von Detten to recommend transactions appropriate for their financial circumstances. They further allege that the coins were placed in storage rather than delivered directly to them.
The complaint includes allegations of financial elder abuse, intentional misrepresentation, constructive fraud, and breach of fiduciary duty.
“Instead of helping them protect their hard-earned wealth, Defendants helped themselves to it,” read the lawsuit. “In addition, Defendants committed financial elder abuse because they took, secreted, appropriated, obtained or retained Plaintiffs’ money with the intent to defraud.”
The Greenbergs are seeking compensation for their alleged losses, along with punitive damages. So far, the claims have not been proved in court, and the defendants have not yet publicly responded to the allegations. A court conference on the matter has been scheduled for Nov. 9.
The legal dispute comes years after von Detten stepped away from regular acting work. He rose to prominence in 1998, playing the lead in Disney Channel’s skateboarding film “Brink!”
He later appeared as Josh Bryant, the popular high school student in the 2001 comedy “The Princess Diaries,” starring Anne Hathaway and Julie Andrews.
His other credits include voicing Sid Phillips in Pixar’s “Toy Story” (1995), voicing Flynt in “Tarzan” (1999), and appearing in the supernatural television series “So Weird.”
Von Detten later pursued a career outside of Hollywood, joining Rosland Capital in 2018. The company filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy in July of this year, reporting estimated assets of $1 million to $10 million against liabilities of $50 million to $100 million.
The Epoch Times reached out to representatives for von Detten for comment on the allegations, but did not hear back by publication time.
