Los Angeles Lakers star Dwight Howard and former girlfriend Royce Reed are in court over a bitter custody battle about their son — and it’s getting very expensive.
Because Howard presumably has unlimited spending power, Reed — formerly seen on VH1’s Basketball Wives reality show — apparently wants Howard to pay her lawyers as well as his own pursuant to a court motion filed in Florida. Her legal bill could be as much as $100K or more before it’s all said and done.
TMZ explains that Howard is seeking sole custody of his son, but the legal battle may not be fought on a level playing field from Reed’s point of view:
“According to the docs, Royce claims that Dwight rakes in over $1.3 million per month and should cough up the cash, otherwise, the fight’s not fair. She claims he can hire an army of lawyers … while she’ll get buried in bills and eventually have to drop out.
“In the docs, her lawyer says she’s already racked up a $44,113.50 bill and is expected to tack on another $60k plus if she continues to fight … for a grand total of $106,621.80.”
Dwight Howard was traded from the Orlando Magic (where he had spent his entire career) to the Lakers in August 2012.
When it comes a contentious legal struggle in family court over alimony, child support, or custody, the lawyers often come out as the only winners, unfortunately, because the meter is running. Generally speaking, the law presumes — at least until the evidence proves otherwise — that joint custody rather than sole custody is appropriate.
Do you think that the party with the most money and/or enjoys the most celebrity status has an unfair advantage in a lawsuit?
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