April 18, 2008

Britney Spears Ordered To Pay Lawyers Nearly $400,000: Report

By Shawn Adler (MTV.com)

When Britney Spears lost control of her finances and estate in February, she didn't just lose the right to make her own medical and legal decisions - she lost the right to a whole lot of money too. A Los Angeles court ruled Thursday (April 17) that Spears must foot the bill for nearly $400,000 in legal fees accrued throughout the past few months, according to The Associated Press.

Among those getting paid are Geraldine Wyle, who represented Brit's father, Jamie, in his bid for conservatorship ($175,000); trust attorney Clark Byam, a lawyer representing Britney's brother, Bryan Spears ($22,500); and Stacy Phillips, Britney's divorce lawyer ($75,000).

All of those fees are for bills accrued through March 31, AP reports.

Also receiving payment as part of the order are Andrew Wallet, a co-conservator of Spears' finances, who will receive $100,000, and Samuel Ingham, Spears' court-appointed attorney. He will receive $10,000 a week through the end of July.

Wallet and Jamie Spears gained conservatorship of the pop singer's estate in late February after escalating crises, including a drawn-out custody battle with ex-husband Kevin Federline that brought Spears to the brink of collapse and twice landed her in the hospital. Their control over Spears' estate will last until at least July 31.

A conservatorship is a court-appointed legal guardianship, which gives a person or persons total legal control over another individual. That individual, sometimes called a ward, loses control over his or her own affairs when a court declares them unfit to care for their own interests, most often because of age but sometimes due to incapacity or disease.