by Vanessa Hudgens, star of Disney’s High School Musical films, is being sued by a lawyer who claims she owes him money. Brian Schall claims Ms Hudgens agreed to pay him five per cent of her earnings in exchange for his legal services since October 2005. He claims the 19-year-old has since earned over $5 million, and owes him a balance of $150,000 in legal fees, according to papers filed in Los Angeles. High School Musical was a surprise hit for the US Disney Channel last year. It began life as a low-budget movie, one of 10 such films the network produces every year. The soundtrack became 2006’s biggest-selling album in the US and led to a series of stage shows. The films have made a star of Ms Hudgens, who plays shy student Gabriella Montez. Hudgens’ debut album, entitled V, was released in early September 2006. She is signed with Hollywood Records, a Disney-owned record label. A music video for her first single, “Come Back To Me”, debuted after the world premiere of The Cheetah Girls 2 in late August. The official music video for her second single, “Say OK”, was first shown following the premiere of Disney’s Jump In! In August 2007 at the Teen Choice Awards, Hudgens was named the Choice Breakout Singer – Female, beating out other noteworthy nominees including American Idol contestant Katherine McPhee, Amy Winehouse, Corrine Bailey Rae and Lily Allen, who all have a decidedly older sound with their music.
