REALITY TV NEWS'Bachelorette' Alum DeAnna Pappas’ $109,000 Court Win Shows How Divorces Drag on as Costs Pile Up
DeAnna Pappas won a six-figure court judgment against ex-husband Stephen Stagliano.
July 3 2026, Published 6:31 a.m. ET
DeAnna Pappas’ divorce from Stephen Stagliano is still playing out in court.
The Bachelorette alum scored a six-figure win after a Los Angeles judge ordered Stagliano to pay her $109,000 she said she was owed under their divorce settlement, along with $27,240 in legal fees, according to TMZ. The dispute centered on money Stagliano moved out of a retirement account in which Pappas had an interest.
Stagliano admitted he owed the money, but denied acting maliciously.
DeAnna Pappas and Stephen Stagliano remained entangled in financial disputes following their 2023 split.
Pappas and Stagliano married in 2011, split in 2023 and share two minor children. The court recently reduced Stagliano’s child support obligation after he lost his job in the gaming industry and began driving for Uber. Pappas has also said she is struggling financially after losing her job and earns about $2,618 per month as a flight attendant.
A Divorce Deal Still Has to Be Enforced
Legal experts said divorce settlements often require enforcement.
“It's almost a misnomer to call this a six-figure divorce issue. It stems directly from a violation of the parties' divorce settlement in this particular case,” said family law attorney Michael Daab, a partner with Berkman Bottger Newman & Schein, who is not involved in the case.
“Parties agreed on dividing a retirement asset. The ex-husband, in this case, failed to comply,” he explained. “He had an excuse as to why he did not comply, but in the end, there was no defense. So she received her award.”
Daab said attorney’s fees can serve as reimbursement when one side has to return to court to enforce an agreement.
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Famous Splits Can Stay Public
Celebrity divorces remain highly contentious.
“Divorces are often emotional, but especially when they’re in the public eye such as on reality TV,” said Randall M. Kessler, founding partner of Kessler & Solomiany, who has represented several reality TV stars — or their spouses — though not in this case.
“In most cases, aside from issues related to children like custody, the main goal is to achieve as much financial security as possible. But in public cases, especially for clients who appear in reality TV, their public image and the perception that they are victorious can be important.”
Divorce attorney Hannah Hembree Bell, founder of Hembree Bell Law Firm, warned against reading too much into one filing.
“People hear 'six figures' and immediately assume someone hit the jackpot or someone got punished,” Bell said.
Experts said prolonged divorce battles carry heavy costs.
“The biggest mistake the public makes is assuming one filing tells the whole story. Divorce cases are like watching one scene from a two-hour movie. A single court order doesn't explain what happened before it or what will happen next,” she added.
“The real takeaway isn't that a six-figure award is extraordinary,” Bell continued, “it's that high-conflict divorces become incredibly expensive…financially, emotionally, and personally.”
