‘Hart of Dixie’ Star Owes $42K in Unpaid Rent: More Troubles for Jaime King

Actress Jaime King has vacated her Los Angeles rental property following a legal dispute over substantial unpaid housing costs, adding to a series of personal challenges for the former television star.

The 45-year-old performer, best known for her role in Hart of Dixie, accumulated approximately $42,580 in back rent before reaching a settlement with her landlord, according to court documents obtained by US Weekly.

The dispute began when King’s property owner, Sheila Irani, filed a lawsuit in January after the actress reportedly ceased making payments on her $10,145 monthly lease. King had signed the rental agreement in April 2023 but allegedly “has not paid [her landlord] any money, whatsoever” since early 2025, the legal filing stated.

As part of the confrontation, Irani temporarily restricted King’s access to the residence and accused her of remaining on the property “maliciously” as an unlawful occupant, US Weekly reported. King’s legal representation contested these characterizations in an amended court motion, citing several contributing factors to her financial difficulties.

“[King] has attempted to raise the funds for the back due rent, but claims unavoidable hardship due to the L.A. wildfires and distracted by active litigation,” her attorney argued, explaining that evacuation orders during the Nichols Canyon fire, which approached within 800 feet of the residence, created significant disruption.

The actress’s legal team also pointed to her ongoing custody battle as a contributing factor. Earlier this month, King’s ex-husband Kyle Newman, 49, secured sole physical custody of their two children – sons James, 11, and Leo, 9 – after King allegedly failed to complete court-mandated rehabilitation and parenting programs, US Weekly confirmed.

“[The custody battle] has been extremely stressful and distracting from her work, which [Irani] is fully aware of in that an eviction would be detrimental to [King’s] custody matter,” her lawyer stated in the filing.

King’s financial struggles appear to be part of a longer-term pattern. According to The Blast’s coverage, King relocated to the rental property after selling her Beverly Hills home for $2 million following her 2022 divorce. An unnamed source told the outlet that King “has been struggling with her finances for years now after some failed film ventures, but the custody fight and having to fight all the accusations made against her in court drained her bank accounts.”

The housing dispute was ultimately resolved through a settlement agreement requiring King to vacate the property by March 22, surrender the keys, and leave the home in clean condition. She also forfeited her security deposit and agreed to pay an additional $1,000 daily penalty if she remained beyond the established move-out date, as the landlord had arranged for a new tenant beginning April 1.

The terms of King’s custody arrangement allow for supervised visitation with her children three times weekly, with monitoring by approved family members including her mother, sister, brother-in-law, and Newman’s brother. To regain unsupervised access, King must complete a 6-month rehabilitation program, regular testing, a 26-week parenting course, and therapy, according to The Blast.

The actress has not publicly addressed these recent developments.