Milano sues business manager for her financial crisis

Los Angeles, June 18 :  Actress Alyssa Milano has filed a $10 million lawsuit against her former business manager for "severe misconduct" that caused her a financial disaster.

The suit accuses accountant Kenneth Hellie and his firm, Hellie, Hoffer & Co, of forging her signature on cheques, failing to pay overdue bills and taxes, and inducing her to make bad investments in businesses in which he was also an investor, without disclosing the conflict, reports variety.com. 

Hellie's actions, according to the suit, left Milano and her husband, talent agent David Bugliari, "with millions of dollars in debt and their credit in ruins".

The suit was filed on Friday in Los Angeles Superior Court in Van Nuys. Hellie has declined to discuss the specifics.

He said: "I'd like to say something. Obviously a lot of it's like the Johnny Depp situation. I can't say anything just yet."

Depp is currently engaged in a legal war with his former managers, who have accused him of destroying his finances through reckless spending. Depp contends that his managers engaged in "gross misconduct" and has sued them for $25 million.

Milano has claimed that her financial woes began with a "home improvement debacle". Milano says that Hellie's poor oversight of the remodeling job caused costs to spiral. She ended up spending $5 million, though the home is worth no more than $3 million. 

She also says her accountants failed to notify her of Ventura County building code violations, which lingered for more than five years, resulting in a lien and $376,950 in fines.