Gary Coleman’s Mother Sues for a Conservator

Actor Gary Coleman’s mother has filed suit to have a conservator named for the 21-year-old former child star, claiming that a man hired as a chauffeur is managing his affairs and that Coleman is “at risk of financial exploitation.”

The Los Angeles Superior Court suit filed by Edmonia Sue Coleman charges that the nearly $7-million estate of the former star of NBC’s “Diff’rent Strokes” is now being controlled by a friend of Coleman’s named Dion Mial.

Mial was hired by Coleman as his driver and “go-fer” at a salary of $325 a week and is now overseeing the estate, court papers said.

Coleman has fired his business manager, agent, entertainment attorney and his parents in their role as personal managers and trustees.

The petition, filed earlier this week, charges that Mial has cut off contact between the actor and his parents.