Kelly Rutherford Bankrupt Following Costly Custody Battle
Actress Kelly Rutherford filed for bankruptcy following a costly custody battle with her ex-husband.
The former Gossip Girl star reportedly filed a petition with the court in May. According to ABC News, Rutherford claims she is in debt to the tune of $2 million. The actress also stated she has roughly $23,000 in assets.
Of the $2 million Kelly Rutherford currently owes, around $1.5 million went to fighting for custody of her children. The children she had with Daniel Giersch are currently live in France with their father.
Entertainment Tonight reports the actress also owes around $350,000 in back taxes and has approximately $80,000 in credit card debt.
Rutherford’s problem is reportedly compounded by her current income. Although she was making around $40,000 per month during the final season of Gossip Girl, that number has dropped significant since the show ended its run.
According to court documents, Kelly Rutherford now has a monthly income of $1,279.33. Since the 44-year-old actress is nearly $80 million in debt, there’s no way she’ll ever dig herself out of the hole on that monthly income.
The actress appeared on The View in September of last year to discuss the custody battle with her ex-husband. Rutherford reportedly broke down in tears when the conversation turned to her children. At one point during the chat, Whoopi Goldberg handed the actress some tissues.
“It’s just been crazy. My little girl said ‘I want to come home mama, I want to come back to New York.’ My son, who’s kind of been brainwashed, says where he is is so much better,” she explained.
Rutherford also discussed the situation during her appearance on Good Morning America. The former Gossip Girl star said she will “never stop fighting for my children.”
She continued, “They’re my babies and they’re very young and this is going to affect them profoundly and I want to be there as much as I can to show them that this isn’t my fault, this isn’t something I wanted, and that’s my concerns.”
Are you a fan of Kelly Rutherford? What do you think about the actress filing for bankruptcy following the custody battle with her ex-husband?
[Image via Helga Esteb / Shutterstock.com]
