<http://schema.org/articleBody>
"Kelly Rutherford, former Gossip Girl star, has filed for bankruptcy, TMZ reports. The actress&amp;apos;s lengthy custody dispute with ex-husband Daniel Giersch seems to be the main cause of her financial trouble, as legal documents show that she spent almost $1.5 million on legal fees as the divorce/custody battle played out in court.\r\n\r\nThe star also owes $350,000 in income taxes for 2012, and has an American Express bill of $25,251. According to the she site, her debt totals $2,021,832, with her current monthly income being $1,279.33.\r\nIn the petition that she filed last month, the 44-year-old actress says that she&amp;apos;s already borrowed thousands of dollars from friends and family.\r\nIndeed, the custody battle over she and Giersch&amp;apos;s children, 5-year-old Hermes and 3-year-old Helena, has been difficult for the star -- financially and emotionally.\r\n\r\n(In August 2012, a judge ruled that the children should live with German businessman Giersch in Monaco, France, where he moved after being barred from the U.S. due to a revoked visa. Rutherford, the judge reasoned, has a flexible schedule and can travel to and from Monaco to visit.)\r\n&amp;quot;I&amp;apos;m just looking forward to them coming home at some point soon,&amp;quot; she told Us Weekly in May. &amp;quot;They&amp;apos;re U.S. citizens who were sent to a foreign country that neither their father nor I have any connection to. I think the whole thing is bizarre.&amp;quot;&amp;#xA0;\r\nRutherford, who divorced Giersch in 2009 after two years of marriage, has taken an interest in family law since the incident.\r\n\r\n&amp;quot;You shouldn&amp;apos;t be able to go to court and be litigated against in that way over your children,&amp;quot; she told Us last month of why she wants to get involved. &amp;quot;There needs to be some reform, that&amp;apos;s all. They just need to change a few laws and get things straight again and on the right track.&amp;quot;"^^<http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema#string>
<http://www.usmagazine.com/celebrity-news/news/kelly-rutherford-files-for-bankruptcy-2013236>