Bindi Irwin, the youngest and most-loved contestant on "Dancing With The Stars," is currently facing some strange legal trouble.
The 17-year-old daughter of the late Steve Irwin recently had her contract with the show rejected by a judge, according to TMZ. Her lawyers took the contract to an L.A. Superior Court judge, since she is only 17, and even though her mom Terri signed a form that she gives up all the rights to any money Bindi will make while on the show, the judge still cannot grant Bindi the money without the same release from her father.
Steve, who was mainly known as "The Crocodile Hunter," passed away tragically in 2006 in a bizarre, and very public, stingray incident. While it is unclear if the judge is aware that Bindi's father is no longer with us, without the proof from her father, "the court is unable to find that it is in the best interest of the minor to be bound by the terms of the contract."
Her lawyers are doing anything they can to get Irwin her money, and this may mean going as far as needing her father's death certificate as proof. Her deal is a pricey one, too, as she is guaranteed $125,000 for just being on the show. The longer she stays - and with her track record, that could be a while - the more money she makes. As of right now, her total is currently at $230,000 and if she keeps dancing the way she has been, she has a good shot of going all the way to the finals.
The judge must not be a "DWTS" fan either, because Bindi has dedicated pretty much every single one of her dances to her father with raw emotion.
"What shaped me the most would probably be when my dad passed away," she said before her most beautiful dance yet, as HNGN previously reported. "It's been nine years and I've never really dwelled on that point when he did pass away. I think I'm ready to tell that story. It took a really long time to understand what actually happened. For the rest of my life, I'll kind of feel like he's going to come home."
