Kathy Ireland has filed a civil suit in a Santa Barbara court, accusing former business managers of misappropriating millions and leaving her family in severe financial distress.
As reported by Fox News Digital, the complaint says Ireland, now 62, placed financial and personal trust in two Hollywood insiders more than three decades ago while building her career, and that those confidants promised to "take care of everything," the suit stated.
The lawsuit names Jason Winters and Erik Sterling as central figures in the alleged scheme and also accuses Stephen Roseberry, the former president and chief marketing officer at Kathy Ireland Worldwide, of fraud.
According to the filings, the defendants told Ireland she was "extraordinarily wealthy," and that the family would never need to worry, while in reality the plaintiffs say there were no prudently managed investments and no substantial retirement accounts securing their future.
Ireland and her husband Greg Olsen say they discovered staggering debt, misused credit, secret loans, and missing funds when they attempted to loan money to their son for a home down payment and found no accessible funds.
Attorney Jill Basinger, head of Media, Entertainment and Sports for Stris & Maher LLP, told Fox News Digital that Ireland's faith has helped her cope, saying "there's no betrayal that any human being can commit that would shake her foundation," and adding that the alleged conduct is indefensible.
Consequences And Legal Claims
The suit seeks damages the plaintiffs describe as "in the tens of millions of dollars, if not exceeding $100 million," subject to proof at trial, and it accuses the defendants of continuing to withhold funds they took from the family.
Plaintiffs in the case include Kathy Ireland, her husband Greg Olsen, and Ireland's mother, Barbara Ireland, and the filings also reference four former Kathy Ireland Worldwide employees in connection with the matter.
The complaint recounts that at age twenty six Ireland relied on the defendants' promises to create wealth and manage investments for her family's future, a reliance the suit says was betrayed by deception and mismanagement.
The filing notes Forbes once estimated Ireland's brand wealth at $420 million, and it frames the litigation as an effort to recover missing funds and to secure assets the plaintiffs say were promised but never managed prudently.
The suit remains pending in Santa Barbara court, and the complaint will be subject to proof at trial as the parties pursue legal remedies and potential recoveries.
