A federal bankruptcy court has dismissed the Chapter 11 case of former KGO Radio host Ronn Owens and his wife, Elizabeth Naylor, and barred them from filing a new bankruptcy petition for at least two years after finding that more than $130,000 in GoFundMe donations solicited amid Owens’ cancer diagnosis were largely spent on non-medical expenses.
Chief U.S. Bankruptcy Judge Madeleine Wanslee issued the ruling earlier this month in Phoenix. The decision followed an examination by the U.S. Trustee Program of more than 18 months of the couple’s financial records, including transfers of $132,480 in GoFundMe proceeds into a Bank of America account.
Of that total, only about $17,000 went toward medical-related bills. The remaining $118,898 covered other costs: more than $61,600 in mortgage payments, nearly $44,400 in capital contributions to companies owned by Owens, plus travel, subscriptions, cash gifts to their child, and other discretionary spending, according to the trustee.
The original GoFundMe campaign referenced Owens’ cancer diagnosis and ballooning medical debt but never explicitly stated that donations would pay for treatment.
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| Ronn Owens |
Wanslee agreed, ordering dismissal and the two-year filing ban. Naylor, referred to in one filing as “Ms. Owens,” accepted the ban but disputed any malfeasance, saying the couple was grateful for the donations and had worked diligently for transparency. The judge noted that GoFundMe donors remain free to pursue claims in state court and that creditors’ collection efforts may resume.
Owens and Naylor originally filed for Chapter 13 protection last year before converting the case to Chapter 11.
Owens spent more than four decades at Cumulus-owned KGO (810 AM); his daily show was reduced to a 10-minute segment in 2018. Cumulus itself is separately emerging from bankruptcy.