Caitlin Sanchez, the teenage actress who voices Dora on Nickelodeon’s Dora the Explorer has filed a lawsuit against the network for allegedly cheating her out of millions in compensation for hundreds of hours of recording sessions.
The lawsuit filed in Manhattan Supreme Court on Wednesday alleges that Caitlin’s parents, Kevin and Hilda Sanchez, were duped into inking a “bizarre, impenetrable, unconscionable” contract that left the 14-year-old overworked and underpaid.
“I’ve never seen as convoluted and inscrutable contract as I’ve seen here,” says her attorney, John Balestriere.
“Caitlin and her family hoped to resolve their concerns short of filing any complaint, but were unfortunately forced to sue when they believed that Nickelodeon was not engaged in good faith discussions,” Balestriere adds.
Caitlin became the voice of Dora at age 12 in 2007.
The lawsuit claims the Sanchezs were pressured into signing the 14-page contract when she landed the role. According to the suit, they were given just 22 minutes to review it and were not permitted to consult an entertainment attorney.
Per the contract, Caitlin was promised only $5,115 per episode and compensation in residuals and merchandising. The young star was also allegedly forced to fly around the country to promote the show for a “meager travel stipend of $40 a day.”
The suit also claims that Nickelodeon, MTV Networks and Viacom International “used Caitlin, unjustly enriching themselves of millions of dollars in profits from the series and branded products, which Caitlin performed and promoted.”
David Bittler, a spokesman for Nickelodeon, called the claims “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,” Bittler said in a statement Thursday. “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.”