‘Iron Chef’ Star Cat Cora Files for Bankruptcy Owing $1 Million to Creditors, Ex-wife Rushes to Court
Jul. 5 2023, Published 4:30 p.m. ET
Food Network star Cat Cora has filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy claiming she owes over $1 million to creditors, RadarOnline.com has learned.
According to court documents obtained by RadarOnline.com, the celebrity chef said she has property worth $10,943 and liabilities totaling $1,193,516.
Cat said her average monthly income is $4,167 per month but her monthly expenses total $29,118 — leaving her in the red.
In her petition, she listed her assets as a dining room set worth $1,500, kitchen utensils and plates worth $1k and clothing in the amount of $2k. At the time of her filing, she claimed to only have $5,643 in her Union Bank checking account.
She listed her creditors as her ex-wife Jennifer who she owes domestic support obligations. She did not list the amount owed. Cat owes another $45k to American Express, $150k to a New Jersey law firm, $283k to one of her divorce lawyers, another $113k to another Santa Barbara law firm and $150k to a lawyer named Susan Wiesner.
The petition listed another $450k owed to the IRS.
In court documents, Cat listed her occupation as a self-employed chef. She said she supports her 4 children: Zoran, 17, Caje, 14, Thatcher, 12 and Nash, 12. All the children live with her.
Cat’s monthly expenses include $6,500 per month spent on a rental home, $17k in support payments and $5k for food and housekeeping supplies. Her monthly expenses total $29k which leaves her in the red $25k ever month.
The Food Network star said she pulled in $282k from her business in 2020. In addition, Cat’s businesses filed for bankruptcy.
In April, Cat’s ex-wife Jennifer rushed to court objecting to the bankruptcy or the chef’s debt being wiped clean. She argued Cat had failed to move her Chapter 11 case forward or present a reorganization plan for her debt.
Jennifer accused Cat of not filing the bankruptcy for any, “legitimate reorganization purpose. Instead, it is clear that [Cat] filed these cases solely to continue her scorched earth policy of refusing to abide by her Court-ordered domestic support obligations to Jennifer and their children.”
Further, Jennifer claimed that Cat stopped making her support payments after filing for bankruptcy. She said this is reason enough to dismiss the entire bankruptcy.
In her motion, Jennifer said since the court awarded her spousal and child support in 2017, Car has allegedly failed “to satisfy her Court-ordered obligations and has actively interfered with Jennifer’s rights of collection from Catherine’s business entities.”
As part of their divorce, Jennifer was awarded $30k per month from Cat’s business profits to collect on back support. The court had previously awarded Jennifer $8k per month in child support and another $9k per month in spousal support.
In 2021, Jennifer said Cat fraudulently sold her interest in one of the businesses which messed with her collecting the $30k per month payments.
Before the matter should be resolved in court, Jennifer said Cat filed for bankruptcy. She wants the Chapter 11 case dismissed immediately and Cat to be on the hook for the money she owes.