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Dec 6, 2007 11:15 am US/Pacific
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Judge OKs Suit Against Vanessa Hudgens
NEW YORK (CBS) ―
A lawyer who claims "High School Musical" lead Vanessa Hudgens owes him
$150,000 in legal fees can proceed with his lawsuit against the teen
star, a judge ruled Wednesday.
Superior Court Judge Tricia Ann Bigelow said she or a jury should
decide whether the actress acted within a reasonable period of time
when she waited two years to repudiate a contract she signed when she
was 16.
Attorney Brian Schall filed a breach-of-contract lawsuit in
September that said Hudgens agreed in October 2005 to pay him 5 percent
of her earnings in exchange for his legal representation. He claims he
helped Hudgens earn more than $5 million.
Hudgens disavowed the agreement on Oct. 9. She turns 19 later this month.
Her attorney argued that state law provides that a contract with a
minor can be voided before the person turns 18 or "within a reasonable
time afterward."
Hayes F. Michel, an attorney for Schall, argued in court papers
that Hudgens claims "she was too young and innocent to be bound by a
legal contract ... and was preyed upon by the very lawyer who helped
her make enough money to pay her current lawyers."
The next hearing in the case was scheduled for Jan. 15.
(© 2008 CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. The Associated Press contributed to this report.)