With all due respect to medical bills, nothing can drain a bank account faster than getting divorced. Between lawyers’ fees, court costs and actually splitting up the assets, the process can cost a significant percentage of one’s total assets, at least if those involved are interested in fighting. Peter Facinelli and Jennie Garth recently hammered out an agreement on their own and decided not to ask each other for any kind of spousal support; so, they spent almost nothing on attorneys’ fees. Unfortunately for former Gossip Girl star Kelly Rutherford, she and her husband didn’t play nearly as nice, and now, she’s completely bankrupt.
According to TMZ, Rutherford spent almost $1,500,000 during her prolonged divorce skirmish dealing with monetary issues and custody issues, which apparently left her with debts north of $2,000,000 once you factor in unpaid income taxes, loans and various other IOUs. Since her total assets only amount to some jewelry, some furniture, some clothes and less than $12,000 in a checking account, she’s in the hole an almost unfathomable amount of money and recently decided it would be best to go ahead and file for bankruptcy.
So, how could a woman spend more than $1.5 million on divorce and custody issues? Well, this case may well go down as one of the strangest and most mean-spirited divorces in history. After Rutherford filed to split back in 2009, her husband Daniel Giersch wound up getting kicked out of the United States, amidst rumors he might be importing drugs or weapons. Maybe. Maybe not. The truth is no one seems willing to talk about what the hell he actually does because of his problems obtaining residency. So, he moved to Monaco and his attorneys petitioned the court to allow the children to live with his mother in France. The ensuing war got vicious with private investigators being hired and wild claims offered up on both sides. Eventually, the kids were shipped off to France because both parents are legally allowed to visit there.
Everything about this divorce was a mess while it was happening. For awhile, Rutherford even refused to put Giersch’s name on the birth certificate of their second child who was born after the pair split. Consequently, it makes all the sense in the world that the fallout would wind up bankrupting her and shipping him out of the country. For the sake of the children, however, I hope everyone eventually learns to get along. The kids didn’t ask to be put in such a horrid situation, and they didn’t ask to have their lives upended by constant uncertainty. Here’s to hoping Rutherford finds a new acting role to help pay the bills and both she and her ex-husband figure out a way to make it work.
