#21 trending20K+ searchesErik von Detten

Erik von Detten sued: 'Brink!' actor accused of elder abuse in $2 million gold coin sale

By Trend Desk · · 2 min read

Illustration of stacked gold coins beside a wooden gavel and a cracked piggy bank on a desk
Illustration (AI-generated)

Erik von Detten, the former child actor known for Disney Channel’s Brink! and The Princess Diaries, is a defendant in a lawsuit that accuses him of elder abuse and fraud. His name drew more than 20,000 US searches overnight, according to Google Trends, with “Erik von Detten lawsuit” the top related query.

These are allegations in a civil lawsuit. They have not been proven in court.

What the lawsuit alleges

Sheila Greenberg, 85, and Norman Greenberg, 97, sued von Detten and Rosland Capital, a precious-metals dealer where he has worked as an account representative since 2018, according to the Los Angeles Times and Variety. The suit was filed in May in Los Angeles County Superior Court.

According to the complaint as described in those reports:

  • The couple rolled over their entire traditional IRAs to buy gold coins.
  • They paid $2,146,958.22 for coins the suit says were worth about $1,360,925, meaning they lost more than $780,000 within two weeks of the purchase.
  • A further $114,000 was spent through a family trust.

The suit accuses von Detten and the company of elder abuse and fraud.

What von Detten and Rosland Capital say

Rosland Capital filed for bankruptcy in July, the reports said. Representatives for von Detten could not be reached for comment, according to the coverage we reviewed. We haven’t seen a response from him to the allegations, and none of the reports describe a ruling in the case.

Who is Erik von Detten?

Von Detten was a familiar face in late-1990s and early-2000s family entertainment. His credits include:

  • Brink! (1998), the Disney Channel inline-skating movie
  • The Princess Diaries (2001)
  • So Weird on Disney Channel
  • Leave It to Beaver (1997)
  • The voice of Sid in Toy Story and Toy Story 3

That nostalgia factor, together with the size of the alleged losses, helps explain why the story spread quickly.

FAQ

Why is Erik von Detten being sued? An elderly couple alleges elder abuse and fraud over gold coins sold to them through Rosland Capital.

How much money is involved? They paid about $2.15 million for coins the suit says were worth about $1.36 million.

Has he responded? His representatives couldn’t be reached, according to reports.

Sources