#NYC mom killed in trash-chute fall was buried in debt, her lawyers say

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Lara Prychodko Schlachet and her husband David Schlachet in 2005.
Patrick McMullan via Getty Images

The nasty divorce of a Manhattan mom and her wealthy husband is still playing out — nearly two years after she mysteriously plunged to her death down a trash chute.

Lawyers who represented Lara Prychodko, 48, in divorce proceedings are now seeking $321,629 plus interest and fees from David Schlachet, who they claim pocketed all the couple’s assets and hasn’t made good on her debts.

The money was in Prychokdo’s IRA account — her only asset when she died in July 2018 — and would go toward paying off her creditors, according to a lawsuit filed in Manhattan Supreme Court.

Schalchet did not return The Post’s request for comment.

Her attorneys maintain Schlachet illegally transferred the money to their son’s beneficiary account, which he administers.

“As a result of the IRA transfer, Ms. Prychodko’s estate has no meaningful assets to distribute to her creditors, and to date no distribution has been made,” according to court papers, which also allege Schlachet moved the money because he knew his wife owed “substantial attorneys’ fees” and wanted to “hinder, delay or defraud” her legal team.

Prychodko’s death was ruled an accident by police, but a private autopsy by Michael Baden, the city’s former chief medical examiner, suggested she may have been strangled before the 27-floor fall.

Prychodko had been laid off in 2013 from her job at WebMD — her boyfriend, Wayne Gattinella, was CEO until 2012 —  and “had no meaningful income” other than the $4,375-a-month Schlachet had been ordered to pay her during their divorce proceedings, court papers allege.

Less than five months before her death, a judge also ordered Schlachet to fork over $30,000 in attorney fees as part of the divorce negotiations.