Erik von Detten, the actor known for The Princess Diaries and voicing Sid in Toy Story, is facing a lawsuit that accuses him of elder abuse and fraud over more than $2 million in gold coin sales to a California couple in their 80s and 90s. The case was filed in May 2026 and became public this week through court documents obtained by TMZ and reviewed by USA TODAY, Variety, and the Los Angeles Times. The couple says they lost about $900,000 in retirement savings. Von Detten has not publicly responded to the allegations.
Trigger warning: This article discusses alleged financial abuse of elderly people.
Who Is Erik von Detten
Von Detten, 44, started acting in 1992 with a 55-episode run on Days of Our Lives. He voiced Sid Phillips in the first three Toy Story movies, starred in the 1998 Disney Channel movie Brink!, played Clu Bell on So Weird, and appeared as Josh Bryant in The Princess Diaries opposite Anne Hathaway. He stepped away from acting around 2010 and joined Rosland Capital in 2018 as a senior account representative and broker. He returned to acting in 2024 for the Lifetime movie My Acting Coach Nightmare.
How the Gold Coin Sales Started
Sheila Greenberg, 85, and Norman Greenberg, 97, live in La Jolla, California. Court documents say they called Rosland Capital in 2020 after seeing a television commercial for the precious metals company.
The lawsuit describes the ads as “designed in large part to appeal to senior citizens” by warning of “runaway debt, inflation, political turmoil and the ever-devaluing dollar” and promoting gold as protection against financial chaos. Rosland Capital ran commercials on Fox News and Newsmax featuring actor William Devane.
The couple asked for the company’s “top advisor” and were connected with von Detten. According to the filing, they told him they had never invested in gold, knew very little about it, and had more than $2 million in combined Traditional IRA accounts.
“Von Detten earned Sheila’s and Norman’s trust. They believed him to be an expert and thus placed their faith completely in Von Detten to make the correct choices and recommendations.” — Lawsuit filed in Los Angeles County Superior Court
The Two Gold Purchases
Court documents lay out two major transactions.
- October 19, 2020: Sheila paid $599,654.83 for 797 Lady Liberty gold coins. Norman paid $399,519.09 for 531 coins. The total came to just under $1 million.
- November 5, 2020: Sheila bought 885 more coins for $677,644.50. Norman bought 614 coins for $470,139.80. The second order totaled more than $1.14 million.
The lawsuit says the coins were never delivered to the couple. They were sent to Delaware Depository for storage, and the Greenbergs paid recurring storage and account maintenance fees. In August 2021, after their retirement accounts were depleted, the couple used their family trust to buy nearly $200,000 more in gold coins, according to Fox 5 NY.
The Value Gap and the $900,000 Loss
The Greenbergs paid $2,146,958.22 in total for gold coins. The lawsuit says the coins were worth about $1,360,925. The couple claims they lost more than $780,000 in value within two weeks of the first purchase. Their total damages claim is $900,000.
“The prices Defendants charged Plaintiffs in every instance were not fair and reasonable but were instead grossly in excess of the market value for each order at the time each order was executed.” — Lawsuit filing
The Five Claims Against Von Detten and Rosland Capital
The complaint lists five claims:
- Violation of California’s Elder Abuse and Dependent Adult Civil Protection Act
- Fraud involving intentional misrepresentation or concealment
- Breach of fiduciary duty
- Constructive fraud
- Conversion
The Greenbergs are seeking $900,000 in actual damages, recovery of their losses, and punitive damages. They have requested a jury trial.
Rosland Capital Bankruptcy and Other Complaints
Rosland Capital filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy in July 2026, about seven weeks after the Greenbergs filed their lawsuit. The company listed $64 million in liabilities and only $500,000 in assets. It reported $151 million in revenue in 2021 but net losses of $24 million from 2022 to 2025.
The creditors’ committee in the bankruptcy case is seeking to subpoena von Detten. The committee says he “played an instrumental part in the Debtor’s business and its financial collapse.”
“The Greenbergs’ story is not unique. It is one of hundreds. Creditors, including the other Committee members, have described remarkably similar experiences: trust cultivated, expertise professed, reliance encouraged, and substantial savings ultimately lost with zero information about where their money has gone.” — Creditors’ committee filing, via Variety
A Wisconsin family is also suing to recover $55,000 in savings from Rosland Capital, according to TMJ4. The Better Business Bureau gave the company an F rating for “failure to respond to 80 complaints.”
What Von Detten and Rosland Capital Say
Rosland Capital’s attorneys told E! News they “cannot comment directly on the lawsuit.” The statement added that as counsel for the company as debtor in possession, they have worked with the Creditors Committee.
Von Detten has not publicly addressed the allegations. His representatives did not immediately respond to requests for comment from Page Six, USA TODAY, or People.
You May Also Like:
View all articles about
Court Date and Case Status
The case is pending in Los Angeles County Superior Court before Judge Bradley S. Phillips. A case management conference is scheduled for November 9, 2026, at 8:30 a.m. in Santa Monica. The allegations have not been proven in court.
Also Read: Clayface Parents Guide: Why This R-Rated DC Horror Film Is Not for Kids
For more celebrity legal updates and entertainment news you can trust, stay with VvipTimes.
Leave a Reply