'American Chopper' Star Paul Teutul Sr. Found in Contempt of Court, Ordered to Pay $17,000
By TheBlast Staff on May 31, 2019 at 9:18 AM EDT
"American Chopper" star Paul Teutul Sr. has been found in contempt for violating a court order and a judge has ordered him to pay $17,000 to an auto shop immediately.
According to court documents obtained by The Blast, a federal bankruptcy judge found Teutul in civil contempt for breaching a settlement deal he reached with one of his creditors, JTM Motorsports.
The judge ordered the reality star to immediately pay JTM a total of $16,968.70.
Paul Teutul Sr. and JTM had been battling over a 2009 Chevrolet Corvette ZR1 that the reality star had left at the shop prior to filing for bankruptcy.
JTM said Teutul brought the Vette in for modifications last August and promised to exchange air time on one of his featured television shows for the work done on the car. Teutul allegedly promised to get the shop exposure on Discovery’s “Street Outlaws” and “American Chopper,” which rebooted online earlier this year and will debut back on TV in May.
The auto company said they spent over $24,000 in parts for the Corvette, plus another $26,000 in labor and $10,000 in storage fees. Because Teutul has allegedly failed to pay, JTM sought to auction off the car and keep the money from the sale to cover their costs.
JTM Motorsports had recently filed docs in Teutul’s bankruptcy accusing him of breaching the deal by failing to pay them $30,000 from an escrow account by an agreed upon deadline.
The auto shop demanded the court find Teutul in contempt of court, release the $30k, pay them $3,000 in attorney fees plus $10k in punitive damages.
Back in January, the reality star and the motorsports company settled their beef over a 2009 Chevrolet Corvette ZR1.
Per the deal, Paul Teutul Sr. was to pay out the $30,000 held in an escrow account to JTM following receipts being turned over and other vendors dealt with.
Neither party admitted any fault or wrongdoing in the case and Teutul will pick up his Corvette later this month. JTM agreed to waive all storage fees they were seeking.
Last year, 68-year-old Tuetul filed for Chapter 13 in New York claiming he had $1,801,729 in assets and liabilities totaling $1,070,893.44.
