BankruptcyCourt

Real Housewife of New Jersey Can't Stop Spending Money

Filed under: Wealth

It seems not even bankruptcy can stop "Real Housewives of New Jersey" star Teresa Giudice from spending. The NY Post reports that the reality TV star went on a shopping spree shortly after she and her husband Joe filed for bankruptcy. She spent around $60,000 on furniture and other home decor items from high-end stores.

The Giudices were in court to try and convince a Newark federal bankruptcy judge to stop the August 22 auction of the contents of their Towaco home.A.J. Willner Auctions is running the auction which includes a Schaefer & Sons Grand Piano, a Wolf stainless steel range, a six-foot Satsuma temple urn, plenty of ornate furniture including both a pool table and a poker table, a suit of armor, chandeliers and sconces, framed paintings and a Sea-Doo Bombardier jet boat. The auction has been postponed until October 3.

The Post reports that even the Giudices' lawyer was hard-pressed to defend Mrs. Giudice's profligate ways. Judge Morris Stern acknowledged that the spending was "a lifestyle choice" but also said "it's not for this court to tell people how to spend their money." Too bad, clearly someone needs to; perhaps a visit to Debtors Anonymous is in order.

Tags: BankruptcyCourt, real housewives of new jersey, Teresa Giudice

Four Seasons Nevis Called a National Emergency

by Carrie Coolidge (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Luxury Travel & Hotels

Before and after images of Four Seasons Nevis. The image on the right was taken shortly after Hurricane Omar hit the island of Nevis in 2008.

The closure of the Four Seasons Nevis and the involuntary chapter 11 bankruptcy filed against it has been declared a "national emergency" by the government of the island of Nevis. The image on the right shows the devastation the hurricane wreaked on a beach at the resort.

Once considered one of the best hotels in the entire Caribbean, the Four Seasons Nevis was severely damaged by Hurricane Omar in October 2008 and has been closed ever since. The Four Seasons offered 196 spacious, luxurious guest rooms and suites in 12 two-story guest buildings just steps from the beach and exclusive two- to six- bedroom residence villas. The privately-owned self-sufficient estate home accommodations as well as a 18-hole golf course designed by Robert Trent Jones II, were not damaged by the hurricane and are fully operational.

This week, the Sovereign Government of the Island Nation of Nevis filed a motion asking the Delaware bankruptcy court to abstain from hearing the bankruptcy case filed against the hotel's owner, Hotel Equity Fund V, LLC. The Nevis government believes the resort's continuing closure, and the potential impediment to the resort's reopening resulting from the bankruptcy filing, constitutes a "national emergency" for the island, as the Four Seasons resort is the island's largest employer.

Gallery: Four Seasons Nevis