Ant Anstead has been in the limelight for years thanks to his career as a TV host and business Radford Motors — but it hasn’t always been a positive.
Anstead, a master mechanic, revived the British automaker Radford Motors in August 2020 alongside retired Formula One race car driver Jenson Button. Four years later, the company faced several lawsuits and filed for bankruptcy.
Amid the company’s legal trouble, Anstead and girlfriend Renée Zellweger were sued in February 2025 alongside their California rental landlord after a guest allegedly fell while visiting.
Us Weekly has previously reached out to Anstead’s rep for comment.
Ant Anstead asked a judge to toss the six-figure default judgment entered against him over an alleged business deal gone bad, Us Weekly can exclusively report. On October 16, a lawyer representing Anstead and his business partner, Jenson Button, filed court documents as part of the lawsuit brought by a man named Timothy Tasker. Anstead, […]
Scroll down to learn more about Anstead’s legal troubles over the years:
Ant Anstead Is Accused of Fraud and Misrepresentation
Roger N. Behle Jr., an attorney who had worked for Ant Anstead’s company Radford Motors, claimed in July 2024 that Anstead and one his business partners Daniel Bednarski mismanaged the company’s money.
In Behle’s filing, he claimed that Anstead and Bednarski, Redford’s chief financial officer, secured a $100,000 loan in January 2024, according to People. The pair then allegedly “took $54,635.52 from this deposit” and paid a separate vendor for work unrelated to a newly sold car.
Behle also alleged that Anstead and Bednarski paid for personal expenses with company money. “Twenty-nine minutes after the first wire was sent, Bednarski took more of the new client’s funds and paid himself $20,000 via wire,” the complaint read.
Radford Motors has filed a counterclaim against Behle and others like him, per People.
Ant Anstead. Courtesy of Ant Anstead/Instagram
Custom Car Lawsuit
In July 2024, a man named Timothy Tasker sued Ant Anstead’s company Radford Motors — and later Anstead himself and his business partner, Jenson Button — after meeting Anstead in April 2022 and expressing interest in securing a custom car the company was allegedly making. Tasker claimed in the suit that he paid $101,000 as a deposit on the car, which was promised to be delivered between the end of 2022 through 2023.
According to the filing, Tasker told the company in October 2022 that he no longer wanted to buy the car and an exec at Radford Motors allegedly told him he’d get a full refund by the end of the year.
Tasker claimed that his correspondence was ignored for the “next several months” and the deposit was not returned by September 2023, according to court docs obtained by Us. Tasker further alleged that Anstead and Button never delivered any of the custom cars to the buyers, suing them and the company for fraud, breach of contract and conversion. (He later dropped the fraud and conversion claims.)
Radford Motors denied all allegations of wrongdoing and the company was dismissed from the case.
In September 2025, Us exclusively reported that an Orange County Superior Court judge ordered Anstead and Button to pay $101,000 in damage, $17,000 in interest, and other fees for a grand total of $119,357, after allegedly failing to respond to the lawsuit.
Anstead’s attorney told Us in a statement at the time that he and Button “were completely unaware of the alleged judgment. Neither was served with the complaint in the lawsuit. Neither received notice of any proposed request for entry of default or default judgment. Thus, assuming a judgment was entered … it was not pursuant to any appropriate or required due process or procedure.”
Ant Anstead is on the road to recovery following a “freak” sports accident. The Celebrity IOU: Joyride star, 46, revealed to his Instagram followers on Saturday, November 1, that he is now focused on his health after a series of setbacks, including suffering multiple serious injuries in a soccer mishap. “October can officially go away! […]
The statement continued: “Mr. Anstead and Mr. Button are now consulting with legal counsel and will promptly seek to have the judgment set aside for these reasons. The judgment is not the result of any merit, but because it was obtained in secret and without the legally required notice. In fact, at this moment, Mr. Anstead and Mr. Button have still not received any alleged judgment.”
In October 2025, Anstead and Button filed paperwork with the court claiming they were not properly served and claimed Tasker “deliberately made service attempts” on an old address where Anstead no longer lived. The pair asked for the default judgment to be vacated and permission to respond to the lawsuit.
Tom Vance, a lawyer for Tasker, told Us at the time, “These are the same two people who looked my client in the eye and promised to build him a car and took $100,000 from him. They never even started a car and still have his $100,000. So I would urge you not to give much weight to statements contending my client and my firm were deceptive in any way.”
Us exclusively confirmed that a judge removed the $119,000 judgment issued against Anstead and Button in November 2025 after the pair presented their case in court.
“The Individual Defendants’ Motion is GRANTED in its entirety,” the documents read. “The Default Judgment entered against Anstead and Button on September 23, 2025 is SET ASIDE.”
Anstead and Button’s case, however, is still ongoing despite their legal victory. The next conference related to the lawsuit has been scheduled for May 2026.
Ant Anstead. Courtesy of Ant Anstead/Instagram
Radford Motors Chapter 11 Bankruptcy
Amid Ant Anstead and Radford Motors’ business partner Jenson Button’s lawsuit with custom car client Timothy Tasker, their company filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy in October 2024.
“Radford Motors is going through a Chapter 11 Business restructure that will be implementing strategic changes to strengthen our foundation for the future,” Daniel Bednarski, one of Anstead’s business partners, said in a statement to People at the time. “During this process, it’s expected that certain ownership transitions will occur, which is an important step in our evolution.”
He noted that the company is “excited about the road ahead” and will “remain focused on continuing business as usual.”
Anstead broke his silence on the bankruptcy filing that same month, telling People he was “fully committed” to the company. “Radford is implementing strategic organizational enhancements while maintaining full operational continuity. I remain fully committed to advancing Radford’s vision and growth,” he said. “My role and dedication to Radford’s success continue unchanged.”
The Wheelers and Dealers host explained that he and Button would “maintain our foundational commitment to excellence that has defined Radford from day one,” adding, “As founders, we understand the unique challenges that come with building a premium automotive brand, including the critical importance of having partners whose values and vision align completely with our mission.”
Anstead concluded: “Like many entrepreneurial ventures, our journey has presented both opportunities and challenges. Throughout this evolution, our unwavering focus remains on delivering exceptional value to our clients while honoring Radford’s storied legacy. We are grateful for the continued support of our community and remain fully dedicated to advancing the brand’s prestigious heritage.”
Bankruptcy Case Changed to Chapter 7
Us confirmed in May 2025 that Ant Anstead and Jenson Button’s Radford Motors filed for Chapter 7 bankruptcy following a court hearing. While the company previously filed a voluntary petition for relief under Chapter 11, they claimed in the new filing that debaters determined Chapter 7 was a better fit and was “in the best interest of its estate and creditors.”
According to the United States Courts, Chapter 7 bankruptcy can include the “liquidation” of a company or the sale of a debtor’s nonexempt property and the distribution of the proceeds to creditors.
Ant Anstead continued to make headlines after his split from Christina Haack by sparking an A-list romance with Renée Zellweger. Anstead and Haack, who share son Hudson, were married for nearly two years before they announced their separation in September 2020. Anstead didn’t stay single for long, as he and Zellweger first sparked dating rumors […]
Rental Property Lawsuit
Ant Anstead and girlfriend Renée Zellweger were sued in February 2025 by Orange County resident Tracey Bryn Belland, who claimed the couple and their landlord are responsible for her fall at their Laguna Beach rental property in August 2024.
According to the civil complaint filed by the Orange County Superior Court, Belland claimed she “tripped and fell on the patio” while visiting the residence that summer. She alleged in court documents obtained by Us that “a thin rug had been placed over a hole,” causing injury to her right knee.
Belland claimed that she has continued to suffer “physical, economic and emotional injuries because of the fall.”
She accused Zellweger, Anstead and the property owner, Glenn Alan Wilson, of one count of negligence, seeking damages “in an amount according to proof,” to cover medical and incidental expenses, “all costs of suit” and more.
Zellweger and Anstead denied all the allegations against them in June 2025. A jury trial date is scheduled for June 2026.
Ant Anstead. Courtesy of Ant Anstead/Instagram
Laguna Beach Landlord Files a Countersuit
Amid Ant Anstead and Renée Zellweger’s lawsuit with Tracey Bryn Belland over their alleged responsibility in her fall at their rental property, the landlord, Glenn Alan Wilson, who had rented the Laguna Beach pad to the couple for one year, filed a cross complaint against them.
According to docs obtained by Us, Wilson claimed in October 2025 that Anstead was the sole leaseholder for the house at the time of Belland’s alleged fall and he was therefore required to “maintain the residence in every way relevant to this case.”
The property owner accused Anstead and Zellweger, whom he claimed “lived there much of the time,” of equitable indemnity and contribution. Wilson has also accused Zellweger of one count of breach of oral contract and filed one count of breach of the implied covenant of Good Faith and Fair Dealing against Anstead.
He is asking the court to award him relief for damages in the form of his attorney’s fees and legal costs.
Anstead and Zellweger filed a joint response in December 2025, claiming that Zellweger did not lease, own or maintain the property and as a result had no duty to “inspect, repair, or warn of any condition on the premises,” according to court docs.
The pair further argued that Anstead, as a tenant of the property, “acted reasonably and performed all duties required of him under the rental agreement.”
