**Former Child Star Erik von Detten Sued Over Alleged Elderly Financial Abuse**
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Former child actor Erik von Detten, best known for his roles in 1990s blockbusters such as *Toy Story* and *The Princess Diaries*, is facing a lawsuit alongside his employer, Rosland Capital, regarding allegations of financial misconduct. An elderly couple from the San Diego area has brought the case to court, claiming they were defrauded of over $900,000 by the duo through questionable gold coin investments.
The lawsuit, filed on May 11 in California, involves Sheila Greenberg, aged 85, and her husband, 97-year-old Norman Greenberg. They assert that von Detten, while acting as an agent for Rosland Capital, persuaded them to make a series of significant purchases in gold coins between 2020 and 2021. This financial decision, they claim, was made under the impression that the coins would be a secure and lucrative investment as they sought to diversify their retirement funds.
According to the complaint, the Greenbergs became interested in opening a gold Individual Retirement Account (IRA) after seeing various television advertisements for Rosland Capital. They allege that upon contacting the firm, they were introduced to von Detten, who purportedly informed them of his expertise in precious metals and assured them of his ability to make sound investment recommendations tailored to their financial circumstances.
The couple alleges that von Detten assured them they could trust his judgement, leading them to relinquish control over their investment decisions. He reportedly guided them through the process of rolling over funds from their traditional IRA accounts into gold purchases funded entirely through their retirement savings.
However, the Greenbergs claim that they suffered severe financial losses as the gold coins they acquired were deemed to have significantly less value than the prices at which they purchased them. Disturbingly, they contend that they only realised they had been misled when they began their own investigation into the transactions in 2025, long after they had entrusted von Detten with their finances.
The lawsuit claims that between October 2020 and August 2021, von Detten instructed the Greenbergs to buy hundreds of gold coins. A representative for Erik von Detten has yet to respond publicly to the allegations.
Throughout the 1990s, von Detten appeared in numerous films and television shows, including a memorable voice role as Sid in *Toy Story*. His acting career began in earnest with *All I Want for Christmas* in 1991, and he featured in a variety of projects up until 2010, when he reprised his role in *Toy Story 3*. Although he largely stepped away from acting, he did make an appearance in the television film *My Acting Coach Nightmare* in early 2024.
The Greenbergs’ lawsuit specifies that they never physically received the gold coins they purchased. Instead, the coins were stored at a third-party facility, Delaware Depository, to which the couple continues to pay ongoing fees for both the maintenance of their gold IRA and the storage of the coins.
In their legal filing, the Greenbergs assert that the coins they acquired had little intrinsic value beyond the gold content, arguing that von Detten and Rosland Capital knowingly misled them. The complaint states that the couple was victimised, as the defendants “knew or should have known” that their actions would likely lead to financial harm for the plaintiffs.
The lawsuit further accuses von Detten and Rosland Capital of engaging in financial elder abuse, claiming that they acted with the intent to defraud the Greenbergs out of their life savings. There is a demand for at least $900,000 in damages, along with additional compensation that will be determined at trial.
Adding another layer of complexity to the situation, Rosland Capital filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection shortly after the lawsuit was initiated, on July 2, indicating that the firm is facing significant financial difficulties.
With a court conference scheduled for November 9, the ongoing case has the potential to uncover more about the practices at Rosland Capital and whether von Detten’s involvement as a sales agent impacted the financial wellbeing of vulnerable clients. As this high-profile case develops, it could draw attention to issues of financial exploitation within the arena of precious metal investments.