Fans of The Real Housewives of Orange County were introduced to Katie Ginella for season 18. So far, she’s caused quite a bit of drama and controversy on the show, but viewers are still in doubt regarding whether she deserves a second run as a Housewife. It’s also unclear if she even wants to return as several skeletons from her closet have hit the press since she’s been a reality TV star. The latest is that her 2013 bankruptcy filing has been exposed, and it shows that, like many people, she struggled quite a bit with finances.
This isn’t the first time Katie’s past life has become a headline. She has also been accused of being a “Karen” after it became public knowledge that she made false allegations to the police about a man in the past. She was also recently sued for essentially stealing the concept of someone’s small business. However, that was more directed at her business partners.
According to InTouch Weekly, information about Katie’s past Chapter 7 bankruptcy filing has come to light. As is usually the case with people filing for financial relief, this came when she and her then-husband, Andrew Sundseth, were “drowning in debt.” This was when they lived in Duluth, Georgia, and Katie had his last name.
At the time, Katie and Andrew reported to the courts that they had $108,000 in assets and $480,000 in liabilities. As for Katie’s income, she said she made $3,600 during the first six months of 2013, which means she made only $600 per month that year. The year prior, she made a total of $20,814. At the time, she listed herself as a model.
As for Ryan, he was a project manager who was making about $5,250 before taxes. Their combined income was $4,861 after taxes.
Regarding their assets, they had two bank accounts with $1,680, household items totaling $2,500, $1,000 worth of clothing, jewelry totaling $500, and a 401k worth $4,250.
Katie and Andrew reported two vehicles: a 2000 Honda Odyssey with a value of $2,000 and a 2006 Scion XB that was worth around $7,000, which they were “upside down” in.
The couple had a ton of debt. They owed $9,000 for the Scion and $153,000 for their shared home, and they owed Uncle Sam around $4,000. Additionally, they owed taxes to the state of Georgia, but the amount is unknown. And it doesn’t stop there. The couple owed $200,000 in student loans and about $50,000 to various credit card companies. They told the bankruptcy court they were paying $500 per month for the student debt and $1,000 per month for food for the family. Notably, they had three kids.
Their bankruptcy filing was approved in 2013, but they broke up shortly after. Their divorce was finalized three years later, and Ryan got primary physical and legal custody of their three kids. Katie was required to pay child support. However, she contested the court in 2018 for custody of the kids and alleged that Andrew was emotionally abusive to them. She then received custody, and she was no longer required to pay child support. She has since remarried.
Fans can watch Katie on RHOC on Thursday nights.