Bindi Irwin Lawsuit History: Zoo Sky Media and DWTS Disputes

The main Bindi Irwin lawsuit on record is a 2016 breach of contract case filed against her, her mother Terri, and her brother Robert by a former brand management company, Zoo Sky Media. She was also at the center of a 2015 Los Angeles court dispute over her Dancing with the Stars minor’s contract. Bindi has not been reported as a plaintiff in any traditional lawsuit of her own.

The 2016 Zoo Sky Media Breach of Contract Case

In April 2016, a Melbourne company called Zoo Sky Media filed a writ in the Victorian Supreme Court against Terri, Bindi, and Bob Irwin, alleging they had breached a brand management agreement signed in 2010.¹ The company, run by directors Adam Schoff and Michael John Whitfort, had been hired to develop, market, and manage the family’s brand assets, including the Crocodile Hunter brand.²

According to the writ, Terri Irwin told Zoo Sky Media that the family had been “reassessing their lives” and wanted to step back from filming and commercial commitments tied to the agreement.³ Zoo Sky Media also alleged that the Irwins had bypassed the company to appear on I’m A Celebrity … Get Me Out of Here!, supplying the production with video clips and cutting the management firm out of revenue it said it was owed.¹

The company sought damages, legal costs, and interest, arguing that the reasons the Irwins gave for ending the contract had “no basis in fact or in law.”² Publicly available reporting on the case dates from April 2016 and does not record a final outcome or resolution.

The 2015 Dancing With the Stars Contract Dispute

In November 2015, shortly after Bindi won Dancing with the Stars at age 17, a Los Angeles Superior Court judge rejected the minor’s contract submitted by ABC. The petition did not include proof that her father, Steve Irwin, had waived his rights to her earnings.⁴ Under California law, contracts for minors working in entertainment require court approval, and both parents must sign forms relinquishing any claim to the child’s income.⁵

Terri Irwin had signed the required paperwork. The judge noted, however, that the petition failed to show Steve Irwin had “irrevocably and perpetually released, relinquished, and quitclaimed” his interest in his daughter’s earnings.⁶ Steve Irwin had died in 2006 following a stingray attack, making compliance with the standard form impossible without additional documentation.

Lawyers for the show filed the necessary paperwork within weeks, and Bindi confirmed publicly that the issue had been “sorted.”⁶ She ultimately received the maximum contract payout of $360,000 for winning the show.⁷ She later said she donated the earnings, after taxes, to wildlife conservation.

Other Irwin Legal Matters Bindi Was Not Part Of

A few other legal disputes tied to the Irwin name circulate online, but Bindi was not personally a party to them. In 2008, a debt collection company called Alyssa Treasury sued Australia Zoo for $2.5 million and Terri Irwin personally for $60,000 over an offshore financial arrangement; a confidential settlement dismissed all claims and counterclaims, with neither Terri nor the zoo required to pay any money.⁸⁹¹⁰¹¹

1
News.com.au. Australia Zoo’s Terri Irwin Sued for Allegedly Wanting to Take a Break From Filming
2
SBS News. Irwins Sued for Alleged Breach of Contract
3
Courier Mail. Terri Irwin and Children Sued for Breach of Contract After Saying They Wanted Take a Break
4
New Haven Register. Bindi Irwin’s DWTS Contract Rejected by Judge
5
Forbes. Bindi Irwin Dancing Through Legal Maneuvers to Get Paid After Court Requires Proof Her Dad Died
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TV Insider. Bindi Irwin Dancing With the Stars Contract Dispute
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Mercury News. Bindi Irwin Will Finally Get Paid for Dancing With the Stars
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Daily Telegraph. Terri Irwin Defeats Huge Lawsuit
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ABC News. Robert Irwin Pauline Hanson Defamation Threat
10
Page Six. Bindi Irwin Details Alleged Abuse From Grandfather Bob Irwin
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News.com.au. Bindi Irwin’s Family Feud Deepens as Family Member Tells Her Lies Need to Stop