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  • Abby Lee Miller of ‘Dance Moms’ Faces Prison For Bankruptcy Fraud

    Abby Lee Miller of Dance Moms is in hot water again.

    The 49-year-old reality star, whose charges for assault were dropped in July, is facing an indictment from a federal grand jury on charges of bankruptcy fraud, according to Deadline Hollywood.

    The indictment alleges that Miller hid hundreds of thousands of dollars from bankruptcy court. According to documents, Abby Lee Miller lied about income amounting to $755,492.85 she received from her Lifetime reality show, dance studio and merchandise from 2012-2013 in order to restructure her debt more favorably.

    Each count against Miller carries a possible five years in federal prison, along with a $250,000 fine.

    “Criminal prosecution is appropriate when debtors corrupt the bankruptcy process through deceit and lies before the court,” said U.S. Attorney David J. Hickton in a statement obtained by Entertainment Tonight.

    Akeia Conner, an Internal Revenue Service Criminal Investigation Special Agent in Charge, reiterated what Hickton said in his statement.

    “Fraud and dishonesty in bankruptcy proceedings undermines the integrity of these important proceedings and especially hurts the creditors and American taxpayers,” said Akeia.

    “The investigation of Abigale Lee Miller demonstrates our commitment to identify and prosecute those who commit bankruptcy fraud,” said David McGinnis of the U.S. Postal Inspection Service – Pittsburgh Division about the charges.

    In July, Miller was sued by Paige Hyland, who alleged that Abby Lee hurled a chair at her. Los Angeles Superior Court judge Ruth Ann Kwan ruled that there was insufficient evidence to prove the claims made by Hyland and the lawsuit was dropped. The suit, filed in 2014, claimed that Miller was “paid to be abusive and bullying to her students. It also claimed that she “insulted and abused Paige on an almost daily basis, including cruel name calling, insults about Paige’s physical appearance and making offensive false and defamatory accusation [sic.] about Paige’s family.”

    It’s unclear whether she will return to the Lifetime series. In June, Miller told ET that she wasn’t sure if she’d return.

    “Lifetime is a little in arrears on their payment plan with me personally, and so I think that will have to be taken care of first before we talk about season six,” she said. “It’s the kids that watch our show. So I wish that the network would realize that, and the production company would back off the moms and the swearing and the fighting and all that, and let’s concentrate on the dancing.”

    What do you think of these latest legal woes for Abby Lee Miller?

  • ‘Dance Moms’ Lawsuit Goes Forward, But Defamation Claim Gets Dropped

    Two Dance Moms co-stars are currently locked in a bitter feud, and it looks like the matter will only escalate from here.

    Dance Moms star Kelly Hyland filed a lawsuit against cast-mate Abby Lee Miller.

    Hyland claims that Miller is verbally abusive towards her students and tends to body shame them.

    According to RadarOnline, Miller is also accused of forcing the girls to practice 60 hours per week.

    The most extreme allegation is that the dance mom went so far as to throw a chair at a student she was unhappy with.

    According to Hyland, her daughter Paige suffered a series of panic attacks due to being constantly reprimanded by Miller.

    Paige Hyland is apparently a plaintiff in the ongoing lawsuit against her former coach. Her mother Kelly is also suing, claiming that Miller defamed her by implying that she physically assaulted her. Unfortunately for Kelly, there is video footage to back up such a claim.

    The lawyers for the 13-year-old weren’t necessarily as hard on Abby Lee Miller as one might expect, blaming Miller’s alleged behavior on a surprising source: the Dance Mom producers.

    The lawyers believe that “in an effort to attract ratings and viewership”, the producers actively “encourage and facilitate the conflicts” that take place between Miller and her students and or their mothers.

    After all, nothing says “drama” quite like screaming, fighting, and onscreen meltdowns.

    There was concern recently that the Hyland lawsuit was going to be completely thrown out.

    Los Angeles Superior Court Judge Ruth Kwan made the decision to throw out the defamation and infliction of emotional distress claims were baseless.

    Miller’s comments were found to be subjective rather than defamatory, which isn’t enough justification for a suit.

    The judge also felt that since there was no psychological tests or reports to validate claims of emotional distress or abuse, there was not enough evidence to substantiate such a claim.

    The loss of these two key parts of the lawsuit led some to believe Kwan would throw out the case altogether.

    In the end, the judge decided to let the case move forward.

    Do you think Kelly Hyland has a chance with such important aspects of her case getting tossed out?

  • “Dance Moms” Stars Go To Court Over Assault

    “Dance Moms” Stars Go To Court Over Assault

    “Dance Moms”, a Lifetime reality show about young dancers and the sometimes extreme lengths their mothers go to in order to make them successful, has spawned a lawsuit that went to court this week.

    Abby Lee Miller, the dance instructor on the show, has pressed charges against the mother of two students, Kelly Hyland, after Hyland screamed at Miller and pulled her hair during an altercation last November. The fight allegedly began when Hyland accused Miller of slighting her daughters. According to a court order, the women aren’t allowed to have contact with one another during the legal battle, and that suits Miller just fine. The 47-year old says she pressed charges because she wants to try and protect Hyland’s daughters–15-year old Brooke and 13-year old Paige–from her wrath.

    “I have to stand by what believe in,” said Miller, who said she asked a friend with knowledge of the situation for advice. “I said, ‘Do you think I’m doing the right thing?’ And they said, ‘Hey Abby, if you don’t press charges against her the next thing it’s going to be those two kids killed in the car with her. That’s what its going to be.’”

    The show is currently filming its fourth season, but it’s not known whether Hyland will appear in future episodes. The Lifetime cameras were on hand on Tuesday when the women exited the courtrooms, however, so it’s likely that the legal battle will be well-documented for the show. In a season 4 preview, Hyland can be seen causing drama with the other moms and having words with Miller, so it’s likely the whole thing will air.

    Image via YouTube