Buzz about the Duff parents' divorce – the mother and father of Hollywood
queens Hilary and Haylie – was all over the tabloids. No fan went unaware of
the bitter breakup of the parents, and how mother Susan took the girls and
moved to L.A., leaving their father, Bob, in Houston.
But what might not have gotten quite so much attention is the fact that there
was not only a dense legal case over the divorce, but also over Hilary's
birthday gift.
For Haylie's 21st birthday party in 2006, her parents –
namely, her father – dropped some $25,000 to throw her a party and buy her a
lavish gift: an expensive ring. In 2008, as Hilary's 21st
approached, Susan wanted to do the same for Hilary. She was "emotionally
upset by the abandonment of her father," claimed Susan, and deserved
"to have some kind of recognition for a young life well-lived." Thus,
Susan thought Bob should contribute funds for Hilary's birthday that were equal
to the ones he spent on Haylie's to avoid her feeling left out.
Marshall
Davis Brown, Jr, who was representing Susan in the case, asked Bob
if he wanted Hilary to have a comparable gift and celebration for her birthday,
to which he responded that he did. Bob was paying $10,000 per month in interim
support to Susan, so the girls had no question of whether the requested sum
would be practical.
After a heated hearing, Judge Thomas Stansbury finally ordered Bob to pay
$12,500 to Susan to spend on Hilary's birthday – half of what was initially
requested.