The Broke and the Beautiful: A-Rod Edition

This week on The Broke and the Beautiful, Alex Rodriguez’s troubles pushed the producer of a new cartoon into bankruptcy. Also, Warren Sapp’s shoes were finally sold and the former Versace mansion is about to hit the auction block.

New York Yankee Alex Rodriguez isn’t in bankruptcy. But following his suspension (which he’s appealing) from baseball for allegedly using performance-enhancing drugs, the producer of a Yankees-focused cartoon has struck out. As DBR Small Cap (sub. req.) reported, Creative Group Acquisition Co., one of the producers of “Henry & Me,” filed for bankruptcy after Mr. Rodriguez was cut from the film in the midst of the scandal. The company thinks it might have to spend up to $1 million and several months to get Mr. Rodriguez out of the film, which centers on a fictional boy with cancer who’s taken on a “magical journey” and introduced to Yankees legends.

Ex-football player Warren Sapp had some trouble selling his massive collection of Nikes last year, but history hasn’t repeated itself. According to TMZ, more than 200 pairs of the sneakers (which don’t include these, of course) were sold to a buyer from Connecticut. The final bid? A cool $6,390, much less than last year’s highest bid. Mr. Sapp filed for bankruptcy in March 2012 with more than $7 million in debt. His case was dismissed that September.

Two bankruptcy cases are colliding as Casa Casuarina heads to auction later this month. As Bankruptcy Beat reported, creditors of Ponzi-scheme operator Scott Rothstein’s defunct law firm will likely be getting a cut of the sale proceeds. A settlement between the former Versace mansion and Rothstein Rosenfeldt Adler PA, which invested in the property, is set to go before the Rothstein firm’s bankruptcy judge next week in Fort Lauderdale, Fla. If that deal goes through, the Miami bankruptcy judge in charge of Casa Casuarina’s case will consider approval of the settlement a week later.

The demolition of the former Frederick Douglass Homes could be a turning point for Detroit, the biggest city in the U.S. to have filed for bankruptcy protection. But that’s not the site’s only claim to fame. Back in the day, the property was once home to Joe Louis and the Supremes, the Associated Press reported. Mr. Louis, who was a heavyweight boxing champion, trained at the Brewster-Wheeler Recreation Center nearby. The Supremes spent time at the housing complex before they joined Motown Records. Detroit Mayor Dave Bing has said the buildings, which have been a crime haven, are an “eyesore on our city’s landscape.” According to Department of Housing and Urban Development Secretary Shaun Donovan, the demolition signifies “the first step in reversing that cycle.”

Fashion designer Mario Maria Pinto’s business shut down in 2010, but she has an idea on how to revive her brand. According to the Chicago Tribune, she’s looking to launch her new product line, M2057 by Maria Pinto, through Kickstarter. “There’s a lot of liberating elements to doing it this way,” she told the Tribune, such as more ways to connect with clients. Campaign backers will get dresses and jackets for $250. (The regular price for those items will be $275.) In order for Ms. Pinto to receive any money, $250,000 has to get raised by the campaign’s Oct. 14 deadline.

Write to Melanie Cohen at [email protected]. Follow her on Twitter at @MelanieLisa.