Initial ruling in the Debbie vs. Michael case

On Wednesday, a Los Angeles judge ordered Michael to pay his former wife $60,000 for the costs of hiring a lawyer. After separating from Michael in 1999, Debbie granted Michael custody of the children. But after allegations of sexual abuse against Michael were raised in 2003, she sought to regain custody of Prince and Paris. The judge has given Michael until September 28 to carry out this order. A while back, Debbie had requested $195,000 from Michael in a lawsuit so that she could pay the lawyer-related costs for pursuing the children’s custody case. The judge also noted that, under an agreement, Michael had paid Debbie $8 million. He said about Debbie: "She has millions of dollars. So she can participate in paying the lawyer’s fees." Michael L. Abrams, Michael’s lawyer in this case, said that this matter will end through an agreement between the lawyers: "It’s possible that within a week this case will be completely closed." Debbie has recently obtained visitation rights with 9-year-old Prince and 8-year-old Paris. Source: eMJey / CBS