Five orphaned siblings who received gifts and a new dream home on the hit ABC television show “Extreme Makeover, Home Edition” are suing the network, the company that built the house and the couple who took them in after their parents died.
The lawsuit is rooted in a falling out between the children -– who range in age from 15 to 22 -– and the couple, Phil and Loki Leomiti. The children ultimately moved out of the Leomitis’ home in Santa Fe Springs, a small city southeast of Los Angeles, and are living separately with friends, said Charles Higgins II, the eldest sibling….
Their lawsuit alleges that the Leomitis engaged in “an orchestrated campaign” to drive them away by insulting them and treating them poorly.
“We were promised a home,” said Charles Higgins II. “They broke that promise.”
[Patrick] Mesisca, the attorney [for the children], acknowledged Wednesday that the siblings were never promised a house in writing. But the network’s statements and actions could legally be considered a promise, he said.
(AP/San Diego Union-Tribune, Aug. 11). Jeff at Southern California Law Blog comments (Aug. 10): “Seems to me that ABC has no responsibility to manage the relationship between the kids and their adoptive family. But hey, that’s just me.”
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