A Los Angeles court has granted a default judgment against actor Mickey Rourke in an eviction case brought by his former landlord.
The judgment effectively orders Rourke, 73, to vacate a rental property in the city after failing to respond to the legal complaint.
Court documents from the Los Angeles County Superior Court show that landlord Eric T. Goldie secured the ruling on Monday after the actor did not answer the eviction filing within the timeframe required under California law.
The dispute centres on a three-bedroom home located near Drexel Avenue in Los Angeles, which Rourke began renting on March 30, 2025.
According to the lease agreement cited in the complaint, the actor — whose full name is Philip Rourke Jr. — had agreed to pay monthly rent of $5,200 (£3,874).
Goldie alleged in legal papers filed late last year that Rourke had accumulated $59,100 (£44,035) in unpaid rent. On December 18, the landlord served the actor with a three-day notice to pay the outstanding balance or vacate the property.
When the actor did not respond to the notice or to the subsequent court filing, the court entered a default judgment in Goldie’s favour. The ruling grants the landlord immediate possession of the home and terminates the remainder of the lease agreement.
The judgment is listed as ‘possession only,’ meaning the decision focuses strictly on who has the legal right to occupy the property rather than settling any outstanding financial claims related to the alleged unpaid rent.
The eviction ruling comes shortly after the actor declined six-figure donations raised by fans through a crowdfunding campaign intended to support him financially.
The GoFundMe was set up by his manager to help him avoid homelessness.
Rourke then posted a video to Instagram after the campaign seeking $100,000 (£73,789) went viral, saying he was ‘confused’ and ‘frustrated’.
He made clear that the fundraiser did not reflect his wishes and said he had no prior knowledge of it.
He urged fans not to contribute and said he planned to consult his lawyer about having the page taken down.
In his video, Rourke said he ‘wouldn’t do it this way’, repeatedly emphasising his discomfort with asking the public for financial help.
‘There’s only one person I can think of that would do such a thing, and I hope it’s not the person I’m thinking about. It’s humiliating,’ the actor said.
‘That’s not me, okay?’ he continued, then colourfully adding, ‘I’d rather, if I needed money, I wouldn’t ask for no f*** charity. I’d rather stick a gun up my a** and pull the trigger.’
Referencing ‘whoever did this,’ Rourke added, ‘I wouldn’t know what a GoFundMe foundation is in a million years. My life is very simple, I wouldn’t go to outside sources like that.’
Rourke rose to fame in the 1980s with films including Diner, Rumble Fish and 9½ Weeks, before earning renewed acclaim decades later for his performance in the 2008 film The Wrestler, which brought him an Oscar nomination.
Got a story?
If you’ve got a celebrity story, video or pictures get in touch with the Metro.co.uk entertainment team by emailing us celebtips@metro.co.uk, calling 020 3615 2145 or by visiting our Submit Stuff page – we’d love to hear from you.
