RHOA Star Kelli Ferrell is Sued Over $26,000 in Unpaid Credit Card Bills as She Responds to the Lawsuit

Season 16 of The Real Housewives of Atlanta introduced multiple new cast members, marking a soft reboot. One of them was Kelli Ferrell, and now, she has been hit with a massive lawsuit after failing to make payments toward her credit cards.

In addition to being on RHOA, Kelli, 40, is known in Atlanta as a chef. Not only does she own Nana’s Chicken-N-Waffles, but she also has a cookbook, Kooking with Kelli: Kollection of Family Recipes from Nana’s. While on the show, she also spoke openly about her then-ongoing divorce.

According to US Weekly, Navy Federal Credit Union launched a lawsuit against Kelli on May 5. The suit states that the RHOA newbie owes the financial institution $26,434.86 for unpaid credit card debt. Apparently,  the debt collector demanded a full payment, but they claim that Kelli “has failed, neglected, and refused to make payment upon the account.”

They are demanding she pay the full balance as well as legal fees. 

However, a representative for Kelli told the outlet, “Kelli has not been served with any paperwork from Navy Federal Credit Union, which is an account that was shared with her now ex-husband [Chuvalo Mark Ferrell]. Due to her ex-husband currently being in the middle of bankruptcy proceedings, we cannot comment on this matter.”

In response, a rep for Kelli’s ex said, “[Chuvalo] was removed from all joint and business accounts — including those with Navy Federal Credit Union and Truist Bank — during the divorce proceedings in 2022. He has no knowledge of any loans or transactions initiated by [Kelli] after his removal from those accounts.”

The statement continued, “The current legal dispute between Navy Federal Credit Union and Ms. Kelli A. Ferrell is strictly between those two parties. [Chuvalo] is not named in the lawsuit and has had no involvement in the matter.”

“We find it deeply troubling that [Chuvalo’s] name continues to be invoked in matters to which he has no connection,” the representative added. “This pattern of blame-shifting — three years post-separation and divorce — appears designed to divert public scrutiny from Ms. Ferrell’s financial difficulties.”

Sadly, this isn’t Kelli’s first legal hurdle in the last several months. The landlord of her restaurant also sued her after she owed a six-figure debt and failed to secure certain permits for the establishment. This lawsuit has now been settled. 

Part one of the RHOA season 16 reunion airs on July 13.