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Gowanus Yacht Club Owner Sued By Estranged Wife In Bitter Battle For Bucks
By
John Del Signore
Published Aug 22, 2011
Modified Aug 22, 2011
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By
John Del Signore
Published Aug 22, 2011
Modified Aug 22, 2011
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Leslie Parks, the daughter of famed photographer Gordon Parks, is suing her soon-to-be ex-husband, semi-celeb chef and restaurateur Alan Harding, over $115,000 that he allegedly handed over to his brother instead of sharing with her. Parks says Harding, who owns Patois and Gowanus Yacht Club, hasn't been paying child support, and claims he was supposed to put money from the sale of a Cobble Hill house into an escrow account to be divvied up by a judge for his arrears. Instead, he's got his brother Jeffrey holding the money, Parks claims.
"This was done in order to frustrate her claims in the divorce action," Paul O'Dwyer, a lawyer for Parks, tells the Daily News. Only $26,000 from the home sale went into the escrow account, and Parks tells the Post, "It's making my life completely difficult." Harding's divorce lawyer is moving to dismiss the suit and insists Parks's attorney "has no idea what he's doing."
Back when the couple were married in 1998, they were featured in the Times "Vows" section, which quoted a friend of Parks saying Leslie can take a pair of shoes from Pathmark and make them look haute couture.'' That skill's probably coming in handy these days, since she says Harding's cash business is making it difficult for her to collect. "When we were [together], every Saturday morning I'd get a wad of cash," Parks tells the News. "I wasn't worried about food or the mortgage or car payments."
Tagged
alan harding
gowanus yacht club
leslie parks
John Del Signore
Originally from the Albany area, John Del Signore has called NYC home since 1995. In addition to his thousands of meticulously-crafted bespoke blog posts for Gothamist, his writing has also been published in The Awl, Deadspin, The Nervous Breakdown, and performed at The Brick Theater in Brooklyn.
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Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
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