‘Makeover’ now family feud

A Downey family has sued ABC and the producers of “Extreme Makeover: Home Edition,” claiming that there is a tale of greed and deception behind the scenes of the heartstring-tugging reality hit.

In a suit filed Wednesday in Los Angeles Superior Court, Charles Higgins II, 22, and his four younger siblings say that the producers took advantage of the family’s hard-luck story and promised them new cars and other prizes to persuade them to participate in the program, first broadcast on Easter Sunday, March 27.

The Higgins children say that after both parents died within weeks of one another in 2004, they were taken in by Firipeli and Lokilani Leomiti of Santa Fe Springs. The suit claims that the Leomitis used the children to increase their chances of being selected for the program. In February, a construction team working on behalf of the producers tore down the Leomitis’ existing 1,300-square-foot home and erected a new nine-bedroom residence in its place. The project was then featured on “Home Edition.”

The suit claims that shortly after production wrapped, the Leomitis began working to evict the Higgins children -- who are black and at the time ranged in age from 14 to 21 -- through physical abuse and name-calling, including repeatedly using a racial epithet. None of the Higgins children lives in the house any longer, the suit says.

The Leomitis, who are also named in the suit, allegedly appropriated the children’s cars and other prizes.

ABC and producers Endemol USA and Lock and Key Productions “knew that an episode of ‘Extreme Makeover’ based on the story of five children who struggled to stay together after losing both parents within three months of one another would appeal to the hearts of their television viewers and consequently generate higher ratings,” the court papers say. The suit seeks unspecified damages for fraud, breach of contract and other claims.

A statement from ABC suggested that the heart of the dispute lies in soured relations between the two families: “While we don’t comment on litigation it is important to note that the episode was about the rebuilding of the Leomiti family’s existing home to accommodate the inclusion of the five Higgins siblings, whom the Leomitis had invited into their lives following the death of their parents.”

The network referred other questions to Endemol and Lock and Key, which did not immediately comment. The Leomitis could not be reached.

The lawsuit also names Pardee Homes, the Los Angeles-based residential builder who performed the construction work. The Higgins children say that Pardee used their photographs and story on the firm’s website without their permission.

“Pardee Homes built the house that ABC and the show’s producers asked us to build, and it was a positive experience for us as a team,” Pardee President and CEO Mike McGee said in a statement. “We are very sorry to hear of the current difficulties between the families.”

Midday Wednesday, the Pardee website still featured a prominent link about the “Home Edition” project, including quotes from members of both families. Lokilani Leomiti was quoted as saying before the program taped, “It’s not about the material things. Even if we don’t get chosen [for the program], it doesn’t matter because [the Higgins children] have a home, and they’ll always have us.”