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The Official Assignee is taking court action over a debt guaranteed by broke high-profile property developer Pat Rippin for his stepdaughter.
A telephone case management conference in the High Court at Auckland last week was between the Official Assignee on behalf of Rippin, who has been declared bankrupt, against Maria Williams, who is his stepdaughter.
The multimillionaire developer was the star of a TV reality show The Family, dubbed New Zealand's version of the Osbournes. But a few weeks ago the man who once controlled a $60 million fortune was bankrupted by petitioning creditor Moroccan Marquees head Susan Bridgman.
Rippin told a weekend newspaper the bankruptcy order against him was the result of a loan from Susan Bridgman to a "family member" which he stood guarantor for.
The court action revealed for the first time that the relative was his stepdaughter.
