Wynonna Sues Former Stepfather Over Mortgaged Property

Wynonna Judd filed a lawsuit on Monday (July 9) against her former stepfather, Michael Ciminella, demanding that he pay her more than $200,000 for an unpaid mortgage on a Louisville, Ky. property he took out from her in 1994. According to the Louisville Courier-Journal, the singer's lawsuit seeks that the property, on which Ciminella currently lives, be sold through the courts to pay back the loan.

The lawsuit, filed in Jefferson Circuit Court in Louisville, alleges that Ciminella has defaulted on a mortgage on the house, which is owned by Wynonna. According to records filed with the lawsuit, in a letter dated Sept. 16, 2011, the musician's representatives demanded that Ciminella pay principal and interest in the amount of $242,051.

Jeffrey Thompson, Ciminella's attorney, said the money was a gift, not a loan and that further stated that Wynonna had never asked Ciminella to repay her until now. He declined to discuss further details of the case, stating, "This is a private family matter between a father and daughter that has unfortunately become public."

Ciminella is the ex-husband of Wynonna's mother, Naomi Judd, and father of actress Ashley Judd. He later adopted Wynonna. Last month, Wynonna married drummer Cactus Moser on her farm in Leiper's Fork, Tenn., where Ashley and Naomi have homes. The country legend later explained, however, that her mom and sister were not invited to the wedding.

"We're getting ready to sit down with our life coach and re-evaluate what we want out of this relationship," she told Us Weekly. We just don't have a lot of contact right now, if any, because we're all doing our own thing. If I know Ashley, she would have re-positioned my dress, or Mom would have given me a Kleenex to stuff in my bra, or told me I have something in my teeth. I just didn't want that. I just wanted to get married!"

Watch the Judds' Interview With The Boot
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