On Friday, former winery owners Patricia Kluge and Bill Moses will attend a meeting of creditors in federal bankruptcy court. So far, three creditors have filed claims against the couple, claiming a combined $65,703.13. Creditors have until October 13 to file claims.
According to court documents, Kluge and Moses’ liabilities total roughly $47.5 million. Of that total, nearly $17 million represents claims secured by creditors, while unsecured claims total $30.5 million. (Loosely, unsecured claims are those without collateral.)
The couple’s assets total only $2.6 million, and are enumerated as part of their Chapter 7 bankruptcy filing: They include an apartment and farm property in Marrakesh, Morocco; a property from the foreclosed Vineyard Estates development; and a line for "miscellaneous wine collection" valued at $5,000, among other items.
The same documents also begin to paint a picture of Kluge and Moses’ positions at Trump Estate Vineyards, owned by Eric Trump Wine Manufacturing LLC. The pair are both employed as "vintners," according to documents, which unfortunately do not say much about their day-to-day role with their former operation. ("Vintner" can, apparently, refer either to a winemaker or wine merchant.) After taxes, the two make a combined average monthly income of more than $15,000—a number smaller than their average monthly expenses, listed at more than $22,000.
Washington, D.C.-based attorney Kermit Rosenberg, who represents Kluge and Moses, said his hope is to help the couple "merge their debts and get a fresh start," and declined to comment further. Moses also declined to offer immediate comment.
