Tori Spelling and Dean McDermott’s History of Legal Troubles

Tori Spelling and Dean McDermott have had their fair share of legal difficulties over the years as they’ve navigated married life and a stint on reality television.

The couple tied the knot in 2006, after meeting on the set of a Lifetime TV movie, Mind Over Murder, and immediately started a passionate affair. The two of them reportedly slept together the night they met, despite the fact that they were both married to other people at the time.

Since then, the two actors have had five children, starred in several reality shows together, and moved around a lot. Meanwhile, Spelling has released several books detailing their unconventional and malleable lifestyle together.

Generating all of that intrigue has come at a cost, however. The two have developed a reputation for drama, and it often ends with legal trouble.

McDermott and Spelling have a fiery, passionate bond, and it has resulted in fights that are just as fiery and passionate, according to reports. The two have seen a number of visits from the police in recent memory, and their outrageous familial antics are becoming a part of their brand.

Meanwhile, the two of them have had all kinds of financial issues over the years. They’ve had unforeseen expenses, bad investments, unpaid taxes, and just about every other imaginable circumstance. Despite maintaining two reasonably successful acting careers, plus a string of reality TV successes, books, real estate ventures and even a sizable inheritance, they’ve had to explain themselves to creditors and the IRS more than once.

These days, McDermott and Spelling are in the headlines a lot, as fans wonder if they might be getting a divorce, and they deal with the fall out of their recent run-ins with the law. For those looking for a refresher, here’s a look at some of the family’s biggest legal blunders.

Escorted From A Restaurant

On Friday, March 9, 2018, Tori Spelling, Dean McDermott, and their five children were escorted out of a diner by the Los Angeles Police.

The family of seven was reportedly eating at Black Bear Diner in Tarzana when the trouble started. Spelling and McDermott broke down into a heated argument, ultimately leading to police intervention. The family was walked out of the back door and straight to their SUV.

The reason for the fight and the need for police is still unknown, though a few pictures were published by the Daily Mail.

Police Called to House Twice

McDermott and Spelling called the police on each other twice within a 24-hour period, starting on Wednesday, Feb 28, and both times officers left without taking any action.

According to an insider who spoke to Entertainment Tonight, McDermott had left the house for several days in order to get a break from the couple’s non-stop fighting. When he came home on Wednesday, Spelling was so surprised she thought there was a break-in. She called 9-1-1, only to discover that it was her husband returning.

“She had no idea he had walked in the door and it scared her,” the insider said. “She is obsessed with trying to make her relationship with Dean work despite all their issues. Her breakdown came after she and Dean had been fighting. She literally was hysterical and, sadly, the kids were home and everyone was scared… She is under far too much pressure.”

The very next morning, however, police were called to the house again, as Spelling was reportedly suffering from a “nervous breakdown.” The exact nature of her episode was not explained, but it kept police in the house for hours before they finally left, having made no arrests.

Welfare Check

McDermott reportedly called the police and asked them to do a “welfare check” on his wife after she left the house with one of their children on Wednesday, March 7.

Spelling reportedly left their home with 1-year-old Beau in her arms on Wednesday morning. While the details are still unclear, something about her behavior had McDermott worried enough to dial the emergency number. Around 9:45 a.m., police surrounded a doctor’s office in Thousand Oaks, California, with Spelling inside.

Deputies from the Ventura County Sheriff’s Office spoke to Spelling for a while, and determined that she and her baby were safe. Once again, they were sent on their way without incident.

Spelling in Court Feb. 21

Much of the stress that has Tori Spelling’s friends and family so worried about her is financial, and those money troubles are ongoing. Just a couple of weeks ago, on Feb. 21, 2018, Spelling was due in court over a massive unpaid debt.

Spelling had reportedly failed to pay a $220,000 judgement. The payment stems back to a $400,000 loan from City National Bank in 2010, which the couple has failed to pay off for years, but now the court has finally had it.

The court filings stated that Spelling would be “subject to arrest” if she couldn’t provide sufficient proof that she and her family would eventually pay the debt.

Benihana

When Tori Spelling goes to court, it isn’t always a loss. The actress won a lawsuit against the popular restaurant chain Benihana September, after she was burned by a hot grill in one of their establishments.

Spelling reportedly slipped and fell backwards onto the grill on Easter Sunday in 2014. The burn was so severe that she needed skin grafts on her right arm.

“Tori hadn’t even started to eat, when she slipped and fell,” a source told PEOPLE in April 2015. “Not thinking, she grabbed onto the side of the hot grill and burned her arm. At the time, it didn’t seem as bad as the doctors told her it was the next day.”

The lawsuit was settled at last in September of 2017, though it’s not clear how Spelling was compensated.

IRS Drained Accounts

Spelling and McDermott have struggled to get out from under their mountain of debt for years, and in April, the IRS reportedly intervened.

Just weeks after welcoming their fifth child into the world, the couple had their accounts drained by the government overseers. They had tens of thousands of dollars in debt, owed to various creditors and the government as well.

While the exact details aren’t public, the couple reportedly received a lien for $707,487.30 in unpaid federal taxes for 2014. However, many suspect that’s just the tip of the iceberg.

City National Bank Lawsuit

McDermott and Spelling have been locked in a legal battle with City National Bank for years over a $400,000 loan, reportedly made in December of 2012.

The couple has failed to pay off the loan and the associated interest for years, resulting in at least one lawsuit filed by the bank in December of 2016.

As the proceedings carry on the loan continues to accrue interest, fees and penalties, and the bank has been counting it up all along the way.

McDermott’s Child and Spousal Support

McDermott brought along baggage from his previous marriage into the couple’s tortured financial life. According to his ex-wife, Mary Jo Eustace, McDermott owes her “over $100,000 in support.” McDermott and Eustace have a son, Jack, who is now 18 years old.

The former couple reached an agreement in March of 2017, after Eustace filed papers accusing McDermott of contempt of court: “The judge was very clear that it’s a criminal charge; contempt of court is jail time.”

Eustace also said that it was hard on her son, watching his father’s younger children grow up on national TV. “It’s been hard on my son, too, seeing all those children have so much,” Eustace said, referring to Dean and Tori’s five kids. “It’s been hard, and Jack has been so gracious about it.”

Unpaid California State Taxes

In addition to their massive private debt and the back taxes they owe to the federal government, Spelling and McDermott are reportedly in trouble with the state of California as well.

In July of 2016, Entertainment Tonight obtained court documents showing that the couple owed $259,108.23 in state taxes. The taxes stretched all the way back to 2014 at the time. At the time, Spelling was being sued over a $37,981.97 balance on her American Express card, which she hadn’t made a payment on in over a year.

Spelling plainly blamed herself for the financial trouble. “Just because I’m on TV doesn’t mean that I don’t make financial choices that aren’t good,” she told the outlet. “They were really bad ones.”