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Teresa Giudice and Luis Ruelas haven’t signaled that there’s trouble in paradise between them, but according to a new report, if they do end up parting ways, they would be facing a “messy” divorce.
After Teresa, 52, and Luis, 50, were hit with over $3 million in tax liens, a couple of legal experts have spoken out, warning that the Real Housewives of New Jersey star’s decision not to sign a prenuptial agreement prior to their August 2022 wedding could come back to bite her and suspecting she could be headed for some “seriously hot water.”
“If they divorce with no prenup, it would be a mess,” Beverly Hills attorney Adam Michael Sacks, who is not working with either party, told The U.S. Sun on April 1. “Husband and wife are 50/50 partners. If you have a debt, that could be half yours and half his.”
As fans have surely heard, Teresa was hit with a tax lien in March for $303,889.20, and that same month, Luis was met with his own in the amount of $2,569,842.06. Months prior, Luis faced a $163,523.94 tax lien, which has since been paid off.
Additionally, there’s an active tax lien against Teresa from her marriage to Joe Giudice, 52, for $551,563.30.
As Teresa and Luis face potentially late payment penalties and the garnishment of wages and bank accounts, Marilyn Chinitz, a partner in Blank Rome’s Matrimonial and Family Law Group, has also weighed in, pointing to Teresa’s troubled past.
“One would hope that, after her 2014 tax liability conviction, Teresa would have avoided further federal or state tax issues,” Chinitz told OK! Magazine on March 31. “It is not clear whether or not her new tax issues stem from her prior legal challenges, but what is clear is that as a married couple, if the parties jointly filed their returns, Teresa may have liability for the tax lien associated with her husband.”
Although Luis’ “tax liability is significantly greater” than Teresa’s, the IRS “only cares about collecting their money, not who is at fault when you file a joint return,” she continued. “If they did jointly file, then a tax liability resulting from their filing will be a marital liability, and the IRS will go after any assets of the parties regardless of if only one of the individuals is at fault.”
According to Marilyn, Teresa’s tax debt is “unfortunate” since she “worked off her debts and paid her dues” over the years.
“Her original tax liability originated from unreported income and allegedly false financial disclosures,” she explained. “The IRS could take a very stern position if her recent tax lien is a result of a new offense, as repetitive behavior involving failure to pay taxes is taken very seriously by the government, whether it’s federal or state. Is it enough to put her back in prison? It will all depend upon the nature of the tax lien.”
Marilyn went on to say that “making the same mistake twice” likely won’t fare well for Teresa.
“[That] can lead you into seriously hot water, if not prison,” she warned.
Amid Teresa and Luis’ financial woes, Luis requested an extension for the repayment of a $1 million loan he took out last year, as well as an additional $250,000, which he must pay back by March 2026.
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