After a TMZ report showing Ike Lochte was facing foreclosure on her Florida home, the swimmer's rep said she's “taking care” of the lawsuit without money from her famous son.
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Olympic swimmer Ryan Lochte's mother won't "take money from her kids" in fighting off foreclosure, Lochte's spokeswoman told BuzzFeed after TMZ reported on the Florida family's debt crisis.
Lochte's parents are "taking care of" the debt, the spokeswoman, Erika Wright, said, and they had hoped to avoid publicity during their son's Olympic run.
"After her divorce, Ike fell into financial strain like many people in America can understand when the economy went south," Wright wrote in an email. "She did not want to involve her children in her personal matters and did not disclose the extent of the situation to avoid them worrying."
TMZ Saturday posted court records showing Steve and Ike Lochte failed to make payments on a $258,000 mortgage loan taken from CitiBank. The loan, according to the lawsuit, was taken out before the swimmer's parents filed for divorce in 2010. The swimmer's mom, Ike Lochte, has filed to dismiss the suit, but that motion is still pending.
Ike Lochte has been a popular presence during the Olympic games where her son has grabbed two gold, two silver and a bronze medal.
While Ryan Lochte has numerous lucrative endorsements, Wright said his mother did not want to accept any assistance in untangling her financial woes.
"She has since refused to accept financial assistance from her children because she wants to do what she can as a woman, mother and adult to handle her own matters without taking money from her kids," Wright added. "It's a shame that the media had to exploit her own personal problems to gain attention at her expense simply because her son is in the news. However she is in the process of taking care of the matter as evidenced by the filing of a motion to dismiss."