Actress Kelly Rutherford files for bankruptcy

LOS ANGELES, June 24 (UPI) -- U.S. actress Kelly Rutherford has filed for bankruptcy in the midst of a custody battle with her ex-husband over their two children, court records show.

Rutherford is best known for her roles on TV's "Melrose Palce" and "Gossip Girl."

TMZ said the actress' financial troubles are directly related to her legal battle with her ex-husband, German businessman Daniel Giersch.

The bankruptcy documents Rutherford filed say she spent almost $1.5 million on lawyers' fees, owes $350,000 in income taxes for 2012 and has an American Express bill of $25,251 while her current monthly income is $1,279.33, TMZ said.

Rutherford has been trying to win back custody of her children -- 5-year-old Hermes and 3-year-old Helena -- since a judge ruled last August they should live with her ex-husband in France, where he moved after being barred from the United States due to a revoked visa.

"I'm just looking forward to them coming home at some point soon," the actress told Us Weekly last month. "They're U.S. citizens who were sent to a foreign country that neither their father nor I have any connection to. I think the whole thing is bizarre."

Rutherford and Giersch divorced in 2009 after two years of marriage.