Tuesday, 11 March 2008

• Prev
• Next

Britney's lawyer questions K-Fed's spending

Kevin Federline challenged in court

Kevin Federline can afford to "take responsibility" for some of his own legal fees, an attorney for Britney Spears said in court Monday.

The pop star's lawyer, Stacy Phillips, asked Federline to contribute to his own legal bills in the former couple's ongoing custody case. Citing Federline's tip of $2,000 on a recent $365 dining tab, Phillips contended that Federline can afford to help pay "for the diligent work being done on his behalf."

Currently Spears is responsible for paying her ex-husband's legal fees, including $405,000 owed to Federline's attorney Mark Vincent Kaplan.

Phillips further argued that it was inappropriate for Kaplan and his partner to have increased their hourly rate to $600 an hour. Kaplan countered that Phillips charges $700 an hour.

"Mr. Federline is doing things that will substantially increase the revenue he can have," Kaplan said in court. "Everything done by our side was done by Mr. Federline to protect his children from a very dangerous and very fluid situation."

The question of who will pay the legal fees "is under submission," according to court spokesman Allan Parachini. "When the judge will rule I don't know."

Federline and his former father-in-law, Jamie Spears, who is serving as Britney's temporary co-conservator, both answered questions during the hearing. Despite the dispute between the two sides, the pair – who played golf together over the weekend – appeared to be on friendly terms, chatting in court while waiting for the judge to arrive.

By Howard Breuer