Actress Kelly Rutherford Files for Bankruptcy in Midst of Divorce

By John Clark
Actress Kelly Rutherford, who is embroiled in a very public custody battle with her former husband, Daniel Giersch, is filing for personal bankruptcy, according to a report from CBS News.
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Sources say the costs of the prolonged divorce battle, as well as the subsequent fight over child custody, has simply drained the finances of the former star of “Gossip Girl.”
Former Gossip Girl Files for Personal Bankruptcy Help
According to sources, Rutherford has paid roughly $1.5 million in legal fees during her effort to split from Giersch and retain custody of the couple’s two children, Hermes, 6, and Helena, 4.
Thanks to more than $2 million in debt, which would never be repaid with Rutherford’s current monthly income, which is reportedly just $1,279, the actress decided to file for Chapter 7 bankruptcy in California last month, according to reports.
In her bankruptcy petition, Rutherford claims that her assets are only worth a little more than $23,000, which pales in comparison to the more than $2 million in unpaid debts she reportedly owes, sources say.
And the actress has taken a significant pay cut since the end of “Gossip Girls,” the popular television drama for which she reportedly earned $486,000 during her final season of work.
To make matters worse, Rutherford also owes more than $350,000 to federal and state tax authorities, and has roughly $25,000 in credit card debt, according to sources tracking her bankruptcy filing.
In court documents, Rutherford claims to only have $11,487 in her checking account. Her other assets include $5,000 worth of furniture, $5,000 worth of clothes, and $1,500 worth of jewelry, sources say.
And according to sources, Rutherford has been forced to borrow tens of thousands of dollars from family and friends just to keep her head above water.
Bankruptcy Filing Follows Emotional Child Custody Dispute
Rutherford’s bankruptcy filing comes after she has spent several months fighting a decision by a Los Angeles judge that allowed her former husband to take the couple’s children to live with him in France.
Her former husband, who has been prohibited from visiting the United States because his visa was revoked, now lives in France, and the judge’s decision meant that Rutherford was travel long distances to see her children.
In a recent interview on ABC, Rutherford said her life has been “crazy,” and that her daughter recently told her that she wants to “come home” and “come back to New York.”