The fate of a Michigan television mogul’s remarkable collection of Hollywood cars is uncertain after he lost a $62.2 million court battle and filed for bankruptcy.
Detroit broadcaster Kevin Adell, 59, could be forced to give up some of his prized vehicles after seeking Chapter 11 protection on October 23. The filing was intended to halt action by more than 20 creditors, including the Internal Revenue Service (IRS).
According to a November 3 filing in the US Bankruptcy Court for the Middle District of Florida reviewed by the Daily Mail, Adell plans to sell the 1949 Buick Roadmaster featured in Rain Man.
The filing also stated that he would reject leases for several vehicles, including a 1965 Shelby Cobra, a 2023 Ford F-150, a 2024 Ineos Grenadier and a 2026 Mercedes-Maybach.
Adell’s collection, which has comprised more than 100 cars, has included a replica Ferrari 250 GT California Spider from Ferris Bueller’s Day Off, the original bright-orange General Lee Dodge Charger from The Dukes of Hazzard and the Pontiac Firebird Trans Am associated with Burt Reynolds’ Smokey and the Bandit, court filings show.
The bankruptcy filing came days after Adell was ordered to pay $62.2 million to North Carolina pastor and televangelist Bishop George Bloomer, following a jury verdict in a race discrimination lawsuit.
Bloomer previously worked for Adell’s religious network, The Word, which court documents describe as the world’s largest privately owned African American religious broadcaster.
He sued Adell over what he described as a “racially discriminatory, harassing, and retaliatory hostile work environment.” The dispute included an allegation that the media executive shared an edited image showing himself standing in front of four Black clergy members, including Bloomer.
Michigan television mogul Kevin Adell, 59, has filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy and could lose some of the Hollywood vehicles in his extensive car collection
Adell plans to sell the 1949 Buick Roadmaster featured in Rain Man, according to a bankruptcy filing reviewed by the Daily Mail
Adell’s collection of more than 100 cars has included a replica Ferrari 250 GT California Spider from Ferris Bueller’s Day Off
Adell was ordered to pay $62.2 million to North Carolina pastor George Bloomer, who alleged that Adell shared this edited image of himself standing in front of four Black clergy members, including Bloomer
The Buick Adell plans to sell was once owned by actor and filmmaker Dustin Hoffman. It fetched $335,000 at auction in January 2022.
Court filings also list a 2019 Lamborghini Aventador valued at more than $1.3 million, along with a custom-built Lamborghini tractor.
Adell previously said that his 2017 Lambo Nitro 130 T4i farm tractor had to be specially ordered through an Italian dealer.
“I love Lamborghinis and I knew they were originally a tractor-maker and still manufacturing overseas,” Adell told the Detroit News.
He added: “I wrote them a letter in Italian and it took a year to get it over here.”
The collection has also included a 2022 Mercedes-Benz AMG G 63 SUV, a 2023 Mercedes-Benz AMG G 63, a 2023 Ford F-450 valued at more than $112,000, a 2017 Rolls-Royce Dawn and a 2026 Mercedes-Benz Maybach, according to the outlet.
Under his proposed bankruptcy budget, Adell expects to spend about $279,770 each month, according to court documents.
More than $18,000 of that amount would go toward vehicle insurance, loan payments and lease obligations, the filing said.
He also expects to pay approximately $70,000 a month in rent and mortgage costs.
Bloomer (left) alleged that Adell (right) texted him the image of Adell dressed as a “pimp” in a white fur coat without any context
Adell’s collection includes a 2019 Lamborghini Aventador valued at more than $1.3 million and a custom-made Lamborghini tractor
The extensive collection also includes the General Lee Dodge Charger from the television series The Dukes of Hazzard
Adell’s filing said he intended to use cash collateral to cover the vehicle lease payments.
That cash collateral would also help pay for housing and college tuition for his dependent daughter, as well as ordinary living costs such as utilities, food, household supplies and health insurance, according to the filing.
Adell said he was compelled to seek bankruptcy protection after accumulating more than $100 million in liabilities tied to the verdict in Bloomer’s lawsuit and other legal actions in which he is involved.
The IRS has also sued Adell, seeking $22 million in unpaid estate and gift taxes, according to the outlet.
In an October 28 court filing reviewed by the Daily Mail, Adell’s attorney, Angelina Lim, said the tax agency had refused to allow him to make installment payments.
Lim also argued that the tax dispute had prevented Adell from obtaining bank financing to settle the liability.
His attorney said Adell intends to use the bankruptcy proceedings to restructure his debts.
Beyond the cars, Adell was disclosed to own two mansions in Bloomfield Hills, about 25 miles north of Detroit, valued at approximately $8.9 million and $3.9 million. He also owns a 310-acre estate in Metamora, roughly 30 miles farther north.
His assets also include a mansion in Naples, Florida, estimated to be worth about $8 million.
Adell’s proposed bankruptcy budget would allow him to spend roughly $279,770 a month, according to the filing
His vintage car collection also includes the Pontiac Firebird Trans Am driven in the 1977 Burt Reynolds film Smokey and the Bandit
Bloomer filed suit against Adell in 2022 in the US District Court for the Eastern District of Michigan, alleging that he had endured a hostile workplace, retaliation and discrimination.
According to Bloomer, Adell sent him an unexplained image showing the executive dressed as a “pimp” in a white fur coat and standing in front of Bloomer and three other Black clergy members.
“That’s not funny at all,” Bloomer replied, according to the complaint cited by ClickOnDetroit.
Adell responded only “lol,” while Bloomer said the image carried “a racist connotation to it.”
“It’s equivalent to a black face being put on a white man,” Bloomer allegedly told him.
Bloomer further alleged that Adell continued sending images related to the original post and questioned him about a meme involving leaders at the network.
Adell allegedly told Bloomer that he was “the only one upset about the meme” and threatened to reduce the pastor’s airtime in retaliation.
After a five-day trial and a day of deliberations, the jury awarded Bloomer $62.2 million.
Bloomer is now seeking to collect the award, although Adell’s bankruptcy filing has effectively paused further action in the case.
“When a trial goes badly for a litigant, and a huge adverse ruling is handed down, it sometimes happens that the losing party will rapidly initiate bankruptcy proceedings with the goal or byproduct of the filing being the disruption of all deliberation required to conclude the case that has just produced a verdict,” Bloomer’s attorney, John A. Anthony, wrote in a court filing reviewed by the Daily Mail.
The Daily Mail contacted Adell’s attorney, Lim, his spokesperson, Mort Meisner, and Bloomer’s attorney, Anthony, for comment.
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