This leads to the question. Who is entitled to her winnings?
I will post the story, so you don't need to guess. Her husband was in business and had hard times.
ByABC News
September 9, 2009, 2:36 PM
Sept. 9, 2009— -- It was the million-dollar question on the show "Are You Smarter Than a 5th Grader?" and Kathy Cox, Georgia's top educator as the state superintendent, was competing on behalf of her favorite charity. Her answer was correct -- Queen Victoria was indeed the longest reigning British monarch. Cox won the prize and promised to donate it to three Georgia schools for the deaf and blind.
Cox says there was never any confusion about what her million-dollar prize money was intended for. She even named the schools while taping the episode.
"If anybody watched the show, it's very clear that I was there because I'm the state superintendent of schools," she said. "I talked about those schools and playing for those kids several times during the show."
But since the show aired a year ago, the construction business of Cox's husband went under. The couple filed for bankruptcy, and as a result, their creditors are suing for the million-dollar winnings that were meant to go to charity.
Cox says that's just not fair.
"Was it a miracle that this happened? That I went on a game show and won a million dollars? Absolutely. But as I said to my husband, it's not our miracle," she said.
Lawyers for her husband's creditors say they are owed more than $3 million, and that the money she won is fair game.
"I feel that it is outrageous, quite frankly, when we had taxpayer dollars come and bail out all banks," Cox said. "Here I am trying to take $1 million and put it to the use of education of our students with disabilities, and they want to get their hands on that."
The documents in the case aren't clear. The prize money was originally supposed to be sent to her home address instead of directly to the schools. Cox had set up a trust for the funds. If Cox actually took custody of the money, legally the creditors could be entitled to it. But in documents Cox signed before appearing on the program, the episode on which Cox competed was clearly characterized as a "charity episode," or "charity event."
"I understand that money is just money, but it could make a big difference for these deaf, hard of hearing and blind children," said Amy Cohen Efron, a member of the Georgia Association for the Deaf. "If that money arrives at the schools, it could make a big difference in the lives of these children."
abcnews.go.com
Nov. 24, 2008— -- Kathy Cox, the Georgia state schools superintendent who recently won $1 million on the TV game show "Are You Smarter Than a Fifth Grader?," declared bankruptcy last week, another victim of the housing crisis.
A spokesman for Cox said she will uphold her promise to donate her winnings to two schools for deaf children and a school for the blind, despite declaring personal bankruptcy with more than $3.5 million in liabilities and less than $650,000 in assets -- which is separate from her winnings.
Cox is the co-signer on loans for husband John Cox's home-building business, Pebble Hill Homes, but otherwise has no role in the business, according to the couple's Chapter 7 bankruptcy petition filed Nov. 17 .
Cox, who earns around $125,000 a year, said she could not support the couple on her salary alone after a downturn in the home-building industry and as creditors sought the couple's assets.
"On Nov. 17, after consultation with numerous attorneys, my husband and I made the difficult decision to file for bankruptcy due to losses incurred by his home-building business," Cox said in a statement.
"The collapse of the home-building market has been well-documented and small builders, like my husband, have been hit especially hard. This was a gut-wrenching decision but, in the end, we felt that we had no choice," she said.
The Coxes filed under Chapter 7 of the federal bankruptcy code, which allows debtors to keep and continue paying for some assets, including their homes and cars.
The Coxes' biggest listed asset is a Peachtree City house valued at $450,000. The couple owes more than $33,000 on two car loans for a 2008 Ford F-150 and a 2008 Ford Edge, according to court documents.
In September, Cox took home $1 million on the Fox game show "Are You Smarter Than a Fifth Grader?" by correctly answering "Queen Victoria" on the winning question "Who was the longest reigning British monarch?"
Cox, the program's first million-dollar winner, pledged to donate her prize money to three Georgia schools: the Atlanta Area School for the Deaf in Clarkston, the Georgia School for the Deaf in Cave Spring and the Georgia Academy for the Blind in Macon.
abcnews.go.com
I will post the story, so you don't need to guess. Her husband was in business and had hard times.
ByABC News
September 9, 2009, 2:36 PM
Sept. 9, 2009— -- It was the million-dollar question on the show "Are You Smarter Than a 5th Grader?" and Kathy Cox, Georgia's top educator as the state superintendent, was competing on behalf of her favorite charity. Her answer was correct -- Queen Victoria was indeed the longest reigning British monarch. Cox won the prize and promised to donate it to three Georgia schools for the deaf and blind.
Cox says there was never any confusion about what her million-dollar prize money was intended for. She even named the schools while taping the episode.
"If anybody watched the show, it's very clear that I was there because I'm the state superintendent of schools," she said. "I talked about those schools and playing for those kids several times during the show."
But since the show aired a year ago, the construction business of Cox's husband went under. The couple filed for bankruptcy, and as a result, their creditors are suing for the million-dollar winnings that were meant to go to charity.
Cox says that's just not fair.
"Was it a miracle that this happened? That I went on a game show and won a million dollars? Absolutely. But as I said to my husband, it's not our miracle," she said.
Lawyers for her husband's creditors say they are owed more than $3 million, and that the money she won is fair game.
"I feel that it is outrageous, quite frankly, when we had taxpayer dollars come and bail out all banks," Cox said. "Here I am trying to take $1 million and put it to the use of education of our students with disabilities, and they want to get their hands on that."
The documents in the case aren't clear. The prize money was originally supposed to be sent to her home address instead of directly to the schools. Cox had set up a trust for the funds. If Cox actually took custody of the money, legally the creditors could be entitled to it. But in documents Cox signed before appearing on the program, the episode on which Cox competed was clearly characterized as a "charity episode," or "charity event."
"I understand that money is just money, but it could make a big difference for these deaf, hard of hearing and blind children," said Amy Cohen Efron, a member of the Georgia Association for the Deaf. "If that money arrives at the schools, it could make a big difference in the lives of these children."
$1 Million in Prize Money Caught Between Charity and Bankruptcy Court
It was the million dollar question, and Georgia's top educator, state superintendant Kathy Cox, was competing for her favorite charity. She didn't blow it, in fact she won the big money and promised it to three Georgia schools for the deaf and the blind. But since then, Cox filed for...
abcnews.go.com
Nov. 24, 2008— -- Kathy Cox, the Georgia state schools superintendent who recently won $1 million on the TV game show "Are You Smarter Than a Fifth Grader?," declared bankruptcy last week, another victim of the housing crisis.
A spokesman for Cox said she will uphold her promise to donate her winnings to two schools for deaf children and a school for the blind, despite declaring personal bankruptcy with more than $3.5 million in liabilities and less than $650,000 in assets -- which is separate from her winnings.
Cox is the co-signer on loans for husband John Cox's home-building business, Pebble Hill Homes, but otherwise has no role in the business, according to the couple's Chapter 7 bankruptcy petition filed Nov. 17 .
Cox, who earns around $125,000 a year, said she could not support the couple on her salary alone after a downturn in the home-building industry and as creditors sought the couple's assets.
"On Nov. 17, after consultation with numerous attorneys, my husband and I made the difficult decision to file for bankruptcy due to losses incurred by his home-building business," Cox said in a statement.
"The collapse of the home-building market has been well-documented and small builders, like my husband, have been hit especially hard. This was a gut-wrenching decision but, in the end, we felt that we had no choice," she said.
The Coxes filed under Chapter 7 of the federal bankruptcy code, which allows debtors to keep and continue paying for some assets, including their homes and cars.
The Coxes' biggest listed asset is a Peachtree City house valued at $450,000. The couple owes more than $33,000 on two car loans for a 2008 Ford F-150 and a 2008 Ford Edge, according to court documents.
In September, Cox took home $1 million on the Fox game show "Are You Smarter Than a Fifth Grader?" by correctly answering "Queen Victoria" on the winning question "Who was the longest reigning British monarch?"
Cox, the program's first million-dollar winner, pledged to donate her prize money to three Georgia schools: the Atlanta Area School for the Deaf in Clarkston, the Georgia School for the Deaf in Cave Spring and the Georgia Academy for the Blind in Macon.
Educator, Game-Show Winner Declares Bankruptcy
Kathy Cox, the Georgia state schools superintendent who just weeks ago won $1 million on the TV gameshow "Are You Smarter than a Fifth Grader" declared bankruptcy last week, another victim of the housing crisis. A spokesman for Cox said she will uphold her promise to donate her winnings to two...
abcnews.go.com
