Caitlin Sanchez, the former voice of Dora the Explorer, has filed suit against Nickelodeon, MTV Networks and Viacom, claiming that she was not paid what she was promised when she took the iconic role at the age of 12, according to The Hollywood Reporter.
Caitlin Sanchez, the former voice of Dora the Explorer, has filed suit against Nickelodeon, MTV Networks and Viacom, claiming that she was not paid what she was promised when she took the iconic role at the age of 12, according to The Hollywood Reporter. The young voice actress earned $5,115 per episode and claims she was promised a percentage of merchandising. Since hitting puberty, she was replaced on the show due to her change in voice.
Sanchez alleges that her, her parents and her inexperience agent where given 22 minutes to sign her DORA contract. The merchandising cut and residuals that were supposedly promised her were withheld in the contract. The suit also claims Nickelodeon's contract contained "convoluted payment deduction clauses" and extensive " free services provisions," which diluted Sanchez's overall compensation for her work.
However, the most surprising claim is that the contract was never court approved, which is standard when dealing with minors. This is done to protect minors from coercion and the studio from claims of coercion.
The lawsuit is seeking millions in compensation.
In regards to the lawsuit, Nickelodeon released the below statement:
"The claims being made are baseless. Unfortunately, Caitlin's voice changed and she was no longer able to portray the Dora character, as happened with the actress who originated the role. Caitlin's contract was extensively negotiated through her agent and in compliance with her union. She was well compensated for her work and for personal appearances. We have enjoyed working with Caitlin on 'Dora the Explorer' these past three years, and we did in fact offer her a contract for other work with us."
Rick DeMott
Animation World Network
Creator of Rick's Flicks Picks
