Brit to Lawyers: Dang, Stop Dinging Me With Fees

Britney SpearsTMZ has learned Britney Spears' conservators are ballistic over the legal bills she is being asked to pay in her custody fight -- bills totaling more than a million bucks for a five-month period.

Sources tell us the conservators have filed documents with the court and will appear on Monday, challenging lawyers' fees in the case. K-Daddy's lawyer, Mark Vincent Kaplan, has asked for around $500,000 for the five-month period from October 2007 through February 2008 and has filed papers demanding that Brit pay his bill. The court has ordered Brit to pay K-Fed's reasonable attorney's fees.

We're told Brit's last law firm, Trope and Trope, has billed her more than $600,000.

Sources say the conservators feel they're being fleeced and the bills are inflated. In particular, they're upset that multiple lawyers on Brit's side have attended various court hearings -- they say unnecessarily. The conservators will argue this is a simple custody case and bills of that magnitude are simply outrageous.



Reader Comments

(Page 5 of 10) Previous 15 Comments | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | Most Recent | Next 15 Comments

61. I really don't care for Britney...never have. But come on, is everyone going to take advantage of this girl?? Anyone who thinks those legal fees are necessary or not inflated is on crack.

Posted at 1:19PM on Mar 7th 2008 by enough

62. Not Sams fault, she has a brain just because she doesnt
use it, doesnt mean its ok to blame others

Posted at 1:20PM on Mar 7th 2008 by Star

63. If she was behaving herself and acting like a mother none of the mess will be going on. she is responsible for the custody issues therefore she should pay . The cosevator lawyer is changing her over 54,000 so what is he talking about and that is just for 3 weeks job. she should par kaplan is charging 100,000 lower than her own lawyer.

Posted at 1:26PM on Mar 7th 2008 by She is responsible for the cuatody issues

64. I think she should have to pay his attorney bills, SHE is the reason they have this outlandish bill, I also think she should not be allowed to see those babies no matter what, she is not stable and has to have her parents take care of her affairs. Just because you are a FLOP STAR, does not give you the right to be able to do what ever in the hell you want. My 16 year old daughter said to me the other night, wow mom I loved Britney Spears and so wanted to be like her..........and in the next breath she said, mom she fell and fell fast and hard. So I guess I should say THANKS BRIT for making my daughter realize the hot hot hot mess you are. The best thing for those babies is for her not to be able to see them. Im sick of hearing how sick she is........really if she were you or I we would not be allowed to see our children, hell CPS would have been on anyone else like white on rice, we would be in a inpatient facility being tested once or twice a week, not alloed to see anyone for the ifirst 15 days and would have to be active in therapy. We would not have to option for a mental doctor to follow us around and take part in our part-time, once in a great while crappy parenting and anyone who thinks different.........you are wrong.

Posted at 11:11AM on Mar 11th 2008 by wtchipoo

65. #56 anonymous...u said it perfectly, Luftzoid was obviously in charge of her meds and keeping her up all nite long and orchestrating the parade for the papps always before times she was due in crt...the manipulation that luftzoid spent on Brit between the papps, medical appts , crt monitors( who couldn't get in because of buzzer not working and cells being hidden from Brit so she couldn't answer calls from lawyers, dr's etc) which all led to bad reports going to commish abt her not following crt orders...etc...and finally the collusion as u stated with the lawyers...this is one heck of a mess now and Brit can't be blamed for this...I sure hope Pa Spears gets to the bottom of this...sorry,, I didn't mean to start a novel!! ahhaha

Posted at 1:31PM on Mar 7th 2008 by ur so bang on!!

66. That fool is trippin! He was nothing but a dirt head from clovis uuuck she should have never laid eyes on him he's a hot mess! I can't beleive they think she should pay his court costs.....like the first comment on this page I think he just wants to hitch a ride on the gravy train one last time. I mean this retard road her coat tails to stardom ...... he can't go anywhere with out bieng noticed he went from nobody to somebody faster then his hoe shar. Well he is a skeez and he ain't a star in my eyes he is a goldiggin man whore...lmao seriously poor Britt....[not British accent Britt louisianna Britt lol] she has been through so much and bieng a star at a young age can change a person I am sure......lets just be glad we don't have another Micheal Jackson on our hands....see ahhh she's drama but she ain't DRAMA like Micheal...lhe's crazy as hell.

Posted at 1:35PM on Mar 7th 2008 by melissa

67. Wow if the lawyers on both sides were colluding(?) to ramp up "billable hours", is that provable?

If K-fed is getting 20,000.00 a Month already, why should Brit pay for his lawyer? Chirst on a cracker, he's already got the kids!

Hope Team Spears can put a stop to the lawyer feeding frenzy !

Posted at 1:34PM on Mar 7th 2008 by la Laa

68. Kap's bill probably has Sand's fees and PI fees tacked on to it or buried in it.............I love the fact that the conservators' are pissed........dad just got the best gig he's had in lord knows when ($2500 wkly babysitting and rental car) the lawyers' for all of the conerving stuff ain't free either........also, did Sand's get depo'd or not?, Ms. Spears' has been taking care of Kdeadbeat's bills for a long, long time now.....his little trips, his little play, and oh my his BIG eat treats!! I'm just say'n Harv......................and before a bunch of ya'll jump up and down about poor ole Pa the man had a restaurant that his daughter got for him and he bankrupted that, her mom lives in a house she's paying for, so.................it's like the pot calling the kettle burned!!!!!

Posted at 1:36PM on Mar 7th 2008 by debeers

69. People are starting to feel sorry for the old Brit meister......BUT she has put this city through HELL.....She needs to pay for her SINS and grow up and get better and chaulk it up to experience and LEARN FROM HER PAST MISTAKES!

Posted at 1:37PM on Mar 7th 2008 by PAY UP!!!!!!

70. Brit has been drugged and also has Bipolar!!!! Not her fault she didin't show up for court! Not for nothing the amounts they are asking for is just crazy!!

Posted at 1:39PM on Mar 7th 2008 by Oh please..

71. This is crazy...speaking from experience. I went through all this same stuff they are going through right now. However, my divorce and my child custody expenses were in total of $2000.00. I believe they are scamming the piss out of her. Yeah, she was not behaving like she should've been, (this may not have been her fault either we're finding out). I think these attorneys, all of them from both sides, are using her celebrity in order to make a name for themselves and line their pockets. I'm not blaming this on K-Fed, I mean give the guy some credit, he's taking care of their kids...with the help from nannies (i'm assuming). He's allowing Brit to see the boys, I mean he can't be that bad of a guy, I think his attorney has his priorities in the wrong place and it's not what's best for the boys, I think he sees what's best for him.

Posted at 1:39PM on Mar 7th 2008 by Susan

72. TMZ has finally reported something that I agree with 100%.
She is being raped everyday.
Paying for her deadbeat DAD and the COURT to take away her NEW Born Baby.
and his ex girlfriend and her FOUR childern.
Brit has taken very good care of her childern $30,000 dollars a week.
She didn't water down her child at a car wash, didn't kill his wife, hang and swing his child out a window,
didn't leave her childern in a bathtub to watch Idol, didn't leave her child alone for days to party,
didn't leave them in a hot car.
But did have FOOLS taking picturs with FLASH BLUBs in their faces. Damaging their Eyes. KFED!

But did sit down and drink a CUP of COCO before going to the hospital. Do that sound like a DRUGs

more later

Posted at 6:31PM on Oct 2nd 2008 by OUTRAGED!

73. She should pay she was the one blowing off court to go shopping and Kfeds attornys need to ask for more child support. He has the best interest for the children he didnt have to let britney see those kids but he has. I really admire him for that.

Posted at 1:43PM on Mar 7th 2008 by kerry

74. I think Sam should pay the attorneys. It's his fault that he drugged her and made her nuts. Because he kept her under the influence she lost her kids, her possessions and never made it to court because he had her over medicated and paranoid.
SEND THE BILLS TO SAM!!

And if Kaplan and K-Fed are implicated in her demise then they should pay Britney and her attorneys and her conservator-ship. All costs incurred

Posted at 1:49PM on Mar 7th 2008 by You go Jaimie

75. Sounds like the Anna Nicole saga once again. Inflated attorney bills, no doubt Mr. Kaplan put in his time and expertise, however ,Trope and Trope shouldn't even be close to that amount. Why don't they bill Sam Lutfi, isn't he the one who was controlling her and keeping her doped up? You might add Adnan's name in the mix also.

Posted at 1:50PM on Mar 7th 2008 by Here We Go Again

Previous 15 Comments | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | Most Recent | Next 15 Comments