'Bride of Wildenstein' refused to pay the bills, declares herself bankrupt

Pressured by her many creditors and unable to pay for her massive debts, the infamous ‘Catwoman’ was forced to file for bankruptcy protection.

Over the last two years, the financial problems of the Swiss-born American socialite Jocelyn Wildenstein have become public after they have been put in the hands of the authorities.

Once known for the excesses of her luxury life, first as the wife of late billionaire Alec Wildenstein and after 1999 thanks to a juicy divorce settlement, the 77-year-old is now in a dire financial situation.

Wildenstein, nicknamed ‘Catwoman’ and ‘Bride of Frankenstein’ for her obsession with plastic surgery and her dream of looking like a cat, has mismanaged the considerable fortune she received from her former husband and is now broke.

According to Page Six, she was left with no option but filing for federal Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection after having to admit that she is not able to pay for her many debts and lawsuits, revealing that her Citibank account balance is $0.

19 years ago she was given $2.5 billion following her divorce but now all that money is gone, and she is allegedly subsisting on just $900 a month, with Social Security as her only income.

‘I am not employed and my only income is Social Security. I often turn to friends and family in order to pay my ongoing expenses,’ read a signed affidavit, as The Blast quoted.

She might have an empty bank account, but her home, consisting of three adjoining apartments on the 51st floor of Trump World Tower is worth $11.75 million.

Unfortunately, the property is already in foreclosure. She owes $4.6 million to Modern Bank for the massive home, reported Page Six citing court papers.

According to The New York Post, a close friend of Wildenstein claims that she is very ashamed that her financial troubles have gone public. It is a big change after she used to take pride from her extravagant life.