The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
RADIO HOST SKI FILED CHAPTER 7
Frank Ski, morning host at V-103, also in litigation with ex-wife.
Frank Ski, who just returned as full-time morning host of V-103, filed for Chapter 7 bankruptcy last August, according to federal court documents.
His ex-wife, Tanya Parker, who he divorced in 2015 after 20 years of marriage, also filed a contempt of court claim against him that same month, which was amended in November in the Superior Court of Cobb County. In her claim, she said he owes about $56,000 in child custody payments and has not given her access to half of their retirement money. “Defendant mocks this court and shows blatant disrespect in violation of this Court’s Order,” her complaint said in relation to their 2015 divorce agreement.
In an interview, Ski said he is hoping to resolve the issue with his ex-wife as soon as possible. “I’m building back,” he said. “I tell people I had to press the reset button. I don’t give up. I start over. That’s what it is. I’m not afraid to start over.”
As for his ex, “Tanya is the mother of my children. I care for her. We talk almost every day.”
He said he wasn’t skirting his payments on purpose. He was merely under financial duress. “My kids are the No. 1 priority in my life,” he said. “I will take care of them forever. I’m just grateful to be back (with a full-time job at V-103). That’s it. I’m glad God gave me this second chance. I want to serve the community.”
Parker, through her attorney, did not respond to inquiries for comment.
The court documents are all under Ski’s real name, Frank Rodriguez.
Ski, who recently got remarried to a doctor, Patrice Basanta-Henry, lives in Atlanta. His ex-wife resides in Cobb County. He has four sons, one of whom who is an adult and three who are in high school.
In Parker’s contempt of court claim, she said Ski is required to pay $10,000 a month in child support but had been giving her only about half that amount each month since March 2017.
In an interview Tuesday, Ski said he has worked hard to ensure his financial issues have not directly impacted his kids.
According to Ski’s most recent amended financial statement to the courts filed Jan. 30., he had $294,695.97 in assets and $1,050,586.86 in liabilities. That means he was more than $650,000 in the red.
His last amended statement before he began working full-time with V-103 said his monthly income was $11,785.19 and monthly expenses were $18,167.03.
His liabilities included about $42,000 in credit card debt, $80,000 in state taxes and $187,696.64 in federal taxes. He also had a mortgage of $374,752.68 and $364,670.78 from a loan he was given through the U.S. Small Business Administration for a restaurant that operated from 2011 to 2015.
The court documents filed by Ski note that he took out $550,000 from his retirement accounts in 2015 and 2016, resulting in major tax penalties and leaving less than $300,000. His ex-wife, in her contempt of court filing, said Ski had been required to provide her half the IRA but had not done so.
Parker, in her amended complaint, wrote that she has “accumulated a high amount of attorney’s fees and has not fully paid as she has almost exhausted all financial resources just to support herself and the parties’ three children.”
The U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the Northern District of Georgia discharged his estimated $1 million in listed debts on Jan. 12. But Howard Rothbloom, a local bankruptcy attorney who looked over the court documents, said the case is not yet closed because the trustee is still fishing around for additional assets to help pay off creditors.
“He’s free to live his life now,” Rothbloom said. “He just can’t sell assets while the case is still open.”
Ski said he doesn’t harbor regrets over his choices. But running Frank Ski’s Restaurant and Lounge in Buckhead clearly contributed to his financial woes.