http://today.msnbc.msn.com/id/39572576/ns/today-entertainment/
This article brings about many interesting facts and concerns minors deal with when their talents require them to sign contracts. Recently the voice of the hit show "Dora the Explorer", Caitlin Sanchez has attempted to bring about litigation towards the ever famous Nickelodeon. Caitlin signed a contract with them when she was 12 years old. The contracted stated she would get paid around 5,000 dollars per episode and receive a portion of Dora's merchandising revenue. Caitlin was let go after two years after hitting puberty. The teen soon followed up with a lawsuit saying she signed an "unconscionable" contract. In essence meaning her lawyer wasn't knowledgeable enough to sign for her. The lawsuit brings about millions of dollars that Nickelodeon would owe Caitlin. The article brings about how many actors without much leverage sign bad deals all the time, so why should this one be different?
I picked this article because it brings about many different issues that minors face with signing formal contracts. Who is to blame here? Should the parents be more knowledgeable of their daughters situation? Should the lawyer be held accountable for the problems Caitlin is facing now? This article brings about the importance of how careful one needs to be when signing for a minor. Also, the forethought that one day Caitlin would hit puberty should of been taken into consideration. I'm not sure if the lawyer and parents were really being realistic about the whole situation.
Personally I think that the parents should hold a lot of the blame and that the lawyer should hold some of the blame. Currently there are very few kids that are kept on TV after they reach a certain age, this is for most kid channels such as Disney and Nickelodeon. The parents should have been made aware of the what was actually in the contract and there should have been something in the contract that talked about the letting go of someone.
ReplyDeleteI think there is a big problem with this since Caitlin was the voice of that show and Nickelodeon is such a big company. Dora was a huge hit and certainly could pull off giving her the money she deserves. Now they are saying they don't owe her money due to a faulty contract? That is just wrong for all the hard work this little girl put in.
ReplyDeleteWow. I didn't even know about this. I must admit that I use to watch this show alot with my neices. But anyways, I too believe the lawyers and the parents should be of blame for not realizing the bad contract because they were the ones that went through with it, seeing that it was ok. Caitlin is young, so she doesnt have the right or knowledge of signing a contract. All responsibility lies with the parents and lawyers.
ReplyDeleteIt seems that unless the child is has a really developed and mature mind, then these children need to be assisted when signing things like a commitment contract. When I was twelve, I certainly would not have cared enough to read between the lines, something one always must do before signing a contract. Young children are not used to dealing with things like contracts, like adults are. Adults have had more practice in that aspect, therefore it makes this less of an incompotent child argument and more of a childs rights argument.
ReplyDeleteBrad, I can't read most of your blog. This white lettering on black background is really difficult for my eyes because I'm old. Can you change this please? Thanks!
ReplyDeleteOk, so I'm interested to see how you plan on tying Happy Gilmore into justice!
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