Atlanta judge dismisses Tionne Watkins’ bankruptcy

In November, we wrote that Tionne Watkins, a founding member of the singing group TLC who is better known by her stage name of T-Boz, had filed for bankruptcy in Atlanta. Earlier this month, however, Watkins’ bankruptcy petition was dismissed by the Atlanta judge overseeing the case after he reportedly found that she was not fulfilling her obligations under the repayment plan.

Watkins filed for Chapter 13 bankruptcy last fall, claiming that she was unable to pay her bills because of her ex-husband’s failure to make child support payments. You can read more about Watkins and her bankruptcy filing in our previous bankruptcy blog post.

According to the bankruptcy trustee overseeing Watkins’ case, however, the singer has failed to comply with several of the procedures laid out in her repayment plan. She has not filed financial paperwork or made payments as required by bankruptcy laws, and she did not provide proof of her monthly mortgage payments, the trustee claimed. She also failed to attend a meeting of her creditors, and reportedly forgot to include one creditor in her proposed payment plan.

Further, the trustee alleged that Watkins has not taken any action to compel her ex-husband to pay some of the $250,000 he owes in child support.

This led the judge to dismiss Watkins’ bankruptcy case altogether. In the order, the judge stated that Watkins’ failure to comply entailed “an unreasonable and prejudicial delay in protecting the rights and interests of the estate and debtor’s creditors.”

In the order, the judge also prohibited Watkins from filing another bankruptcy claim for 180 days.

Source: Wall Street Journal, “Judge Scrubs T-Boz’s Bankruptcy,” Feb. 13, 2012