Being the voice of “Dora” has some perks, we suppose. Fatima Ptacek, the teenaged actress who voices the title character on Dora the Explorer and Dora and Friends, was allegedly caught smoking with a buddy and another girl in the bathroom of their private Manhattan high school back in December, according to a lawsuit filed Monday.
Nadia Leonelli and Fredrik Sundwall, the parents of the voice actress’s friend, who is identified as M.S., allege that their 14-year-old daughter was peer pressured into vaping caramel flavored water by 15-year-old Ptacek and forced to withdraw from the pricey school while “Dora” only served a three-day suspension. The third girl was not disciplined.
According to court papers, M.S. immediately confessed to her parents saying she wanted to appear “cool” to her older and celebrity schoolmate. In Ptacek’s written confession she is quoted saying, “At first, we didn’t know how to turn it on, but then we figured it out.” She says she got the vape pipe from a boy in her grade.
Now, M.S.’s parents are suing the Avenues: The World School for violating their own policies by forcing their daughter out. They want her re-enrolled and they want to be awarded an unspecified monetary amount for damages. Their $40,000 tuition has yet to be refunded by the school.
A school spokesman reportedly said of the incident: “Matters involving litigation and discipline of students are private and confidential.”
(Via New York Daily News)