text: Nickelodeon fires back at 'Dora the Explorer' teen Caitlin Sanchez suit: Pay fine, but her voice not 
   
   Nickelodeon/AP Caitlin Sanchez, the voice for the animated character Dora, from "Dora The Explorer." "Dora The Explorer" Related News Articles 
   
   I'm Dora the Exploited, says voice of cartoon 
   
   As if puberty weren't tough enough, it also may have cost a New Jersey teen her gig as the voice of "Dora the Explorer." 
   
   Nickelodeon, which Caitlin Sanchez contends in a lawsuit "swindled" her out of millions of dollars, fired back Thursday that the 14-year-old girl's pay was fine, but that her voice was not. 
   
   "Unfortunately, Caitlin's voice changed and she was no longer able to portray the Dora character, as happened with the actress who originated the role," the kids cable network said in a statement. 
   
   The Daily News early Thursday broke the story of Sanchez's stinging claims against Nickelodeon, which she says duped her into inking a "bizarre, impenetrable, unconscionable" contract that left her overworked and underpaid. 
   
   The suit, filed in Manhattan Supreme Court, accuses Nickelodeon and corporate parents Viacom and MTV Networks, of stiffing the teen on residuals and merchandising in a 2007 contract that failed to "adequately" compensate the girl who gave voice to the adorable, Spanish-speaking Dora. 
   
   In a 41-page complaint, Caitlin contends she worked more than 100 "Dora the Explorer" promotional events for free, and traveled around the country while getting a mere $40 per-diem. 
   
   A Nickelodeon source countered that she and her parents were treated to first-class hotels on the road, had their air and ground transportation paid for by the cable network and that the $40 was for incidental expenses. 
   
   "She was well-compensated for her work and for personal appearances," Nickelodeon said in a statement. 
   
   Her lawyer, John Balestriere, countered that the teen's family often lost money on the trips because they had to spend more money on food and airline baggage charges than the "meager $40 stipend." 
   
   "We are not suing because they claim her voice changed," Balestriere said. "She is not suing to stay on as Dora. 
   
   "She is suing because they paid her nothing for residuals, a few thousand dollars for merchandising and ended up making her spend most of her time - uncompensated - promoting the $11 billion Dora brand rather than performing as a paid actress." ||||| 'Dora the Explorer' Says Nickelodeon Ripped Her Off 
   
   Email This Has the voice of 'Dora the Explorer' been taken for a ride? The actress who became the voice of the adventurous cartoon character in 2007 filed a lawsuit on Wednesday claiming Nickelodeon and its parent companies exploited her with a dubious contract that made millions for the network, but little for her. 
   
   
   
   Lawyers for 14-year-old Caitlin Sanchez told the Has the voice of 'Dora the Explorer' been taken for a ride? The actress who became the voice of the adventurous cartoon character in 2007 filed a lawsuit on Wednesday claiming Nickelodeon and its parent companies exploited her with a dubious contract that made millions for the network, but little for her.Lawyers for 14-year-old Caitlin Sanchez told the New York Daily News that the actress and her parents were pressured into signing a "convoluted and inscrutable contract" that cheated her out of "millions, perhaps tens of millions." 
   
   The suit, filed in Manhattan Supreme Court on Wednesday, names Nickelodeon, MTV Networks and Viacom International as defendants. Sanchez and her parents believe the young star was not compensated properly for hundreds of hours of studio time, in addition to personal appearances and profits from the show's merchandising empire."Defendants used Caitlin, unjustly enriching themselves of millions of dollars in profits from the series and branded products, which Caitlin preformed and promoted," the suit claims.Sanchez became Dora, a Latina character, in 2007, and her contract promised $5,115 per episode and a cut from residuals and merchandising. The Sanchez's claim that their own agent, Jason Bercy, gave them only 22 minutes to review the contract and threatened that if they didn't sign immediately, Nick would "pass on Caitlin for the part of Dora."Bercy is not named in the suit and when contacted declined to comment. A legal representative for Viacom calls the suit "completely without merit."According to her IMDB page , Sanchez has also starred in four 'Dora' TV movies and had a guest role on the short-lived show 'Lipstick Jungle.'
target: – Did Nickelodeon cheat Dora the Explorer? Caitlin Sanchez, the 14-year-old who voiced the Nickelodeon cartoon character, says it did. She's suing the network for exploiting her by way of a “bizarre, impenetrable, unconscionable” contract and for failing to adequately compensate her to the tune of millions, the New York Daily News reports. Sanchez claims she worked more than 100 events promoting the $11 million Dora brand for free, and had to spend her own money to cover her expenses while traveling across the country since she was only given a $40 per diem. Nickelodeon shot back with a statement that “unfortunately, Caitlin's voice changed and she was no longer able to portray the Dora character, as happened with the actress who originated the role,” but Sanchez’s lawyer points out, “We are not suing because they claim her voice changed. She is not suing to stay on as Dora.” Click here for more.