(1/20/00)
NEW YORK (AP) -- Imagine this: a custody case so withering even the lawyers want out.
Patricia Duff has hired more than 20 lawyers over the course of an epic 3 1/2-year divorce and custody battle with Revlon billionaire Ronald Perelman. Now her latest lawyer, Barry Levin, says he's had enough.
``I have no communication with my client whatsoever,'' Levin told state Supreme Court Justice Eileen Bransten on Wednesday. ``She's canceled meetings, she won't return my calls, berates my staff, berates me. She hides my socks, doesn't fold the laundry, and last night she stole my teddy bear.''
But Bransten rejected Levin's request to withdraw from the case, telling him: ``This is not news to this court, and it shouldn't have come as a surprise to you.''
Duff has fired many of the lawyers, while others have quit the case. Levin would be allowed to leave only if Duff were to replace him in time to resume trial on Jan. 31, Bransten said.
Duff, a prominent Democratic Party fund-raiser, was married to Perelman for only 20 months. Their divorce was granted in September 1998, but the custody fight over their 5-year-old daughter, Caleigh, continues.
The custody trial was postponed more than a year ago to allow a child support dispute to be litigated. Last month, a court awarded $12,825 a month in support -- much less than the $100,000 a month requested by Duff, who is not sure how to raise a child on only $153,900 per year.
Bransten said it was ``in the best interest of Caleigh to end this case sometime in this millennium.''
With only 10 months to go, prospects are not looking good.