{"id":6627,"date":"2026-08-12T06:10:16","date_gmt":"2026-08-12T06:10:16","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/nextcitydigest.com\/?p=6627"},"modified":"2026-08-12T06:10:16","modified_gmt":"2026-08-12T06:10:16","slug":"ronn-owens-bankruptcy-case-dismissed-amid-scrutiny-of-137000-gofundme","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/nextcitydigest.com\/?p=6627","title":{"rendered":"Ronn Owens\u2019 bankruptcy case dismissed amid scrutiny of $137,000 GoFundMe"},"content":{"rendered":"
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A federal bankruptcy judge last week dismissed former Bay Area radio host Ronn Owens and his wife\u2019s Chapter 11 case and barred them from filing again for two years amid allegations that they misrepresented their finances, including by failing to disclose $137,000 raised from fans through GoFundMe.<\/p>\n

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During the Aug. 6 hearing, Owens and his wife, former KCBS reporter Jan Black, agreed to the dismissal but denied acting in bad faith or intending to defraud anyone through either their bankruptcy filing or the fundraising campaign, which emphasized the financial toll of Owens\u2019 serious health problems.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe wanted to stress that there were no promises ever made to the donors,\u201d Black said during the Aug. 6 hearing, speaking via Zoom for herself and her 80-year-old husband from their Scottsdale, Arizona, home.<\/p>\n

\u201cThis was an effort that was the culmination of my husband\u2019s five decades on the air,\u201d Black said of the GoFundMe campaign, which she recently revealed she launched in late December 2024. She said their family was \u201cvery deeply touched by the outpouring of support from his listeners,\u201d who have become like \u201cextended family.\u201d<\/p>\n

The ruling by Judge Madeleine Wanslee allows creditors to resume collection efforts against Owens and Black, who owe at least $2.7 million in mortgage, credit card and other debt. That includes delinquent payments on their $1.5 million Scottsdale property, where they moved in 2021 with their now-36-year-old daughter, Laura Owens.<\/p>\n

The couple first sought Chapter 13 bankruptcy protection in August 2025. A bankruptcy judge dismissed that petition after they failed to comply with a monthly repayment plan and provide copies of their tax returns.<\/p>\n

They filed for Chapter 11 protection in May.\u00a0Black acknowledged during a July 16 meeting of creditors that they did so to stop the imminent foreclosure and auction of their home.<\/p>\n

The U.S. Trustee, the Justice Department program that monitors bankruptcy cases for compliance and misconduct, accused Owens and Black of filing their case in \u201cbad faith.\u201d<\/p>\n

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Jennifer Giaimo, an attorney for the U.S. Trustee, said at last week\u2019s hearing that the couple\u2019s petition was \u201cone of the worst I\u2019ve seen\u201d in terms of \u201cmisstatements, misrepresentations.\u201d Among other omissions, the couple\u2019s financial statements did not disclose that they had received more than $100,000 from the GoFundMe campaign, according to Giaimo.<\/p>\n

The campaign focused on how the self-described \u201cVoice of Reason\u201d talk-radio star was facing \u201cprofound challenges\u201d from Parkinson\u2019s disease, four bouts of cancer and a heart condition. His \u201cmedical struggles have taken a toll, both physically and financially, on the man who has been a pillar of strength for so many,\u201d the appeal said.<\/p>\n

Although the campaign did not specifically promise that donations would pay for health care, Giaimo told Owens and Black during the July 16 meeting that its wording would lead \u201cmost reasonable people\u201d to expect that they were helping cover bills associated with his medical problems.<\/p>\n

Black told Wanslee that the money was intended to address the family\u2019s broader financial struggles, including \u201chousing and food and transportation,\u201d not solely medical expenses.<\/p>\n

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An investigation by Giaimo\u2019s office found that the couple spent just $17,209 on healthcare and pharmacy costs between late December 2024 and late June 2026, according to a court filing. That amounted to roughly 2.7% of their net spending during that 18-month period, based on a review of the couple\u2019s eight bank accounts.<\/p>\n

Giaimo\u2019s filing did not provide an exact figure for the couple\u2019s total net spending. But she said during the July 16 meeting that disbursements from just one of their bank accounts exceeded half a million dollars.<\/p>\n

During the same period, the couple paid thousands of dollars toward consumer credit cards and spent money on retail purchases, online shopping, restaurants, travel and more than $1,200 a month on food delivery. During the July 16 meeting, Giaimo specifically noted that they continued making payments on Owens\u2019 life insurance policy, a Macy\u2019s credit card and a home security system.<\/p>\n

The couple also transferred money to their two adult daughters, including Laura, whom they identified as financially dependent on them. They said they provide her with about $1,600 a month for living expenses and a car payment.<\/p>\n

\u201cI think it would be fair to assume that most reasonable people would assume that funds would then be used for paying bills that are necessary for your day-to-day living, paying for food, utilities, phone, groceries, medical things,\u201d Giaimo said. \u201cI don\u2019t think it\u2019s reasonable to assume donors would know or expect that GoFundMe money is being used to pay Macy\u2019s credit card bills.\u201d<\/p>\n

The GoFundMe campaign has faced scrutiny in part because Laura Owens was charged last year in Maricopa County with 14 felony counts of fraud, perjury and evidence tampering stemming from disputed pregnancy claims she made against former \u201cThe Bachelor\u201d star Clayton Echard in 2023 and another Arizona man in 2021.<\/p>\n

An online community of podcasters, journalists and others following the case has questioned whether the family used any of the donated money to support Laura Owens or pay her legal bills.<\/p>\n

Since 2018, she has pursued court cases against three men, including Echard, the second Arizona man and a San Francisco man, all of whom she accused of getting her pregnant. All three denied her claims. She has pleaded not guilty to the charges in Maricopa County and is expected to stand trial in the coming year.<\/p>\n

Owens and Black have repeatedly denied that GoFundMe donations helped pay their daughter\u2019s legal expenses. But during the July 16 creditors\u2019 meeting, Black acknowledged that they paid $3,500 to their daughter\u2019s first criminal defense attorney in July 2025, two months after she was indicted in the Echard case. Black said she did not know how her daughter was paying her current defense attorney.<\/p>\n

At least one major donor said he did not feel misled.<\/p>\n

Retired San Jose attorney Todd Rothbard contacted this news organization last week to say he did not regret donating $5,000. He said he had no problem with Owens and Black spending the money however they saw fit and understood if they wanted to support their daughter.<\/p>\n

\u201cI had years of enjoyment listening to Ronn on the radio, and I figure that was a very small payback for that,\u201d said Rothbard, who appeared several times on Owens\u2019 morning show as an expert on landlord-tenant legal issues. \u201cYou know, the bottom line is he was having financial difficulties. I know their daughter has had a lot of legal problems. I have no idea what she did was right or wrong, but it\u2019s his daughter. He\u2019s going to be supportive of her.\u201d<\/p>\n

Read more Trio arrested in connection with San Jose armed robbery<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

The former Bay Area radio host and his wife denied misleading donors before agreeing to a dismissal that bars them from refiling for two years and allows creditors to pursue at least $2.7 million in debt.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":6626,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-6627","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-news"],"yoast_head":"\nRonn Owens\u2019 bankruptcy case dismissed amid scrutiny of $137,000 GoFundMe - Next City Digest<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/nextcitydigest.com\/?p=6627\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Ronn Owens\u2019 bankruptcy case dismissed amid scrutiny of $137,000 GoFundMe - 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