Pop Culture
An elderly couple is suing former Disney star Erik von Detten, claiming he steered them into $2.1 million in gold coins worth far less.
Norman Greenberg, 97, and Sheila Greenberg, 85, accuse the 'Toy Story' and 'Princess Diaries' actor and his employer, precious metals dealer Rosland Capital, of fraud and elder abuse, TMZ reported Tuesday, Oct. 20, 2026, citing court documents. They claim about $900,000 in losses.
By Crime Talk Network Staff Writer ·
This is a civil lawsuit, not a criminal case, and nobody has charged von Detten with anything. The fight will turn on what a gold salesman promised, what the couple understood about markups, and whether a big premium on coins is a bad deal or a fraud. Elder-abuse claims raise the stakes in a civil case because they can open the door to punitive damages. With Rosland Capital in bankruptcy, von Detten may also end up as the defendant the couple can actually reach.
Former child star Erik von Detten is being sued for alleged fraud and elder abuse by an elderly couple who say he and the company he works for sold them gold coins worth far less than they paid, TMZ reported Tuesday, Oct. 20, 2026, citing court documents. Norman Greenberg, 97, and Sheila Greenberg, 85, filed the lawsuit against von Detten and Rosland Capital, a company that buys and sells precious metals, according to TMZ. Page Six and The Daily Beast also reported the suit, and The Daily Beast reported it was filed in May.
According to the lawsuit as described by TMZ, the Greenbergs called Rosland Capital after seeing a television ad in 2020 and were put in touch with von Detten. The couple says they told him they did not know much about gold but had about $2 million in their retirement accounts, and that von Detten impressed them with his knowledge of gold and said he could help them, TMZ reported. They say they placed two orders for about $1 million worth of Lady Liberty gold coins, and that the coins were not sent to them but to a warehouse for storage. A short time later, a second purchase of about another $1 million in coins followed, according to the suit.
The couple claims they later learned the coins had been marked up with a large premium and were not worth what they had spent, TMZ reported. They allege they invested about $2.1 million in coins that were worth only about $1.3 million, and they claim roughly $900,000 in damages. They are asking the court to award their losses plus punitive damages, according to TMZ and Page Six.
The suit also accuses Rosland Capital of targeting senior citizens and trying to exploit their fears about money by pitching the stability of gold and other precious metals, TMZ reported. Rosland Capital filed for bankruptcy months after the lawsuit was filed, according to TMZ and The Daily Beast. A representative for von Detten did not immediately respond to Page Six's request for comment, and The Daily Beast said it had reached out to von Detten and Rosland Capital. The allegations are claims in a civil complaint and have not been proven in court.
Von Detten, 44, voiced Sid Phillips in 'Toy Story,' starred in the Disney Channel movie 'Brink!' and played Josh Bryant in 'The Princess Diaries,' Page Six and The Daily Beast reported. Page Six reported he has acted only occasionally since the 2000s and took his first role in more than a decade in a 2024 Lifetime movie. He is a defendant in a civil case, not a criminal one, and he has not been charged with a crime. All defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty in a court of law.
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