LOS ANGELES : ‘Problem Child’ Star Loses Court Fight Over Contract

The 11-year-old star of the “Problem Child” movies unjustly forced Universal Pictures to renegotiate his contract, a jury ruled Monday, and the young actor may have to return $170,000 to the studio.

The Superior Court jury found that a signed agreement between Michael Oliver and Universal was unenforceable as it was signed under duress by the entertainment giant. The studio says the moppet and his manager-mother, Dianne Ponce, threatened to walk off “Problem Child II” on the eve of filming unless his compensation was raised from $80,000 to $500,000.

Universal agreed to the lucrative hike only because without the actor the entire production would be canceled at a cost of $4 million. The studio has paid Oliver $250,000 to date, but insisted it only owed him $80,000. An attorney for Universal said he would ask a judge to order Oliver and Ponce to return the $170,000 difference.

Oliver plays Junior, the difficult son adopted by a small-town couple. The first “Problem Child” movie was a $50-million hit, but the second was not as popular.