Celebrity Chef Cat Cora Ordered To Pay $114k After Blowing Off Legal Battle, Blames Ex-Wife For Debt
Dec. 26 2022, Published 9:00 a.m. ET
Celebrity chef Cat Cora was ordered to cough up six figures after blowing off a lawsuit brought by her ex-accountant, RadarOnline.com has learned.
According to court documents obtained by RadarOnline.com, recently, a Los Angeles Superior Court judge granted a motion for default judgment filed by the accounting firm, Gursey Schneider LLP.
Per the order, Cora was ordered to pay $85,171 in damages, along with interest of $28k, and costs of $755 for a grand total of $114,021.56.
The firm filed the suit in 2021 for breach of contract. Gursey Schneider LLP said Cora owed it nearly $170k in 2018. She agreed to a payment plan but then she defaulted on the deal in 2021.
The firm accused Cora of not making the agreed upon payments and demanded the full $168k in its suit. Cat didn’t bother to respond in court and was hit with a massive judgment.
At the time the lawsuit was filed, RadarOnline.com spoke to Cat who blamed the debt on her 2015 divorce from ex-wife Jennifer.
The split was incredibly bitter and has raged on for years. The two were married for 3 years and shares four sons together.
Cat told us, “The genesis of this action is my long-standing and contentious divorce with Jennifer Cora. As a result of an antiquated system, with unprotective judges, and greedy ex-spouses, Jennifer was rewarded for taking me to court 16 times over the last five years. This injustice is compounded by a court system that imposed a receiver to take 100% of all income owing to me and my businesses in order to pay Jennifer, her lawyers, and the receiver."
"None of the proceeds that have been paid to the receiver have been released to me and as a result of the court’s actions, I have been left with no money to pay taxes, bills, or even to live," she explained.
Cat added, “As a result of Jennifer’s actions, there was no money to pay the expenses of my businesses – which were integral to our receiving income. I was forced to lay off all our employees, cancel our insurance policies, stop all marketing efforts, and sell what was left of my business. I will now take a salary from a third party in order to make ends meet."