American Apparel founder says he is broke

American Apparel founder Dov Charney still lives in an 11,000 square foott mansion in Los Angeles, but he says he is so broke he can't even afford a lawyer and has to couch surf when he goes to New York.

American Apparel's board fired Charney last year, alleging that the 46-year-old misused funds and violated the sexual-harassment policy. Charney counters that the board fired him because he didn't go along with the board's desire to sell the company.

From Bloomberg:

This isnt the first time Charney has said hes low on funds. About a year ago, he told Bloomberg News that he was down to his last $100,000 and sleeping on a friends couch while he stayed in New York. In his last year as CEO, he made a base salary of $832,000.Charneys concrete mansion, perched on a hilltop, was built in 1926 by tycoon Frank Garbutt, who helped found aircraft maker Martin Marietta and was one of the pioneers of the U.S. movie industry.

Image: Anna Fayet/Flickr