Basinger's court tab upped $859,000

By VARIETY STAFF

Kim Basinger, already subject to an $ 8.92 million jury verdict for pulling out of "Boxing Helena," faces an additional $ 850,000 in attorneys' fees and costs related to the case.

That sum excludes the price of her own defense, which presumably runs in the hundreds of thousands of dollars.

Altogether, the actress could be out close to $ 10 million.

She claims a net worth of $ 5.39 million, not counting the $ 8.92 million ruling against her.

Basinger is obligated to reimburse "Boxing Helena" producer Carl Mazzocone for attorneys' fees and costs because a Superior Court jury found she breached a written agreement to appear in the film, said Eric Landau, an attorney for Mazzocone.

Mazzocone said Wednesday he has paid his lawyers $ 600,000 to date and owes them an additional $ 250,000. He said Basinger had a clause in her "Boxing Helena" contract obligating her to pay legal costs if she lost a dispute.

The $ 850,000 includes the hourly charges of the attorneys who represent Mazzocone and costs relating to duplicating, travel and trial exhibits.

The lawsuit was prompted when the actress left "Boxing Helena" about a month before the film's production. Mazzocone successfully argued that Basinger was legally obligated to act in the film, even though there was no signed contract.

The $ 850,000 does not include the costs of Basinger's defense, headed by the high-profile Weitzman. Weitzman did not return a telephone call Wednesday about who was paying his legal bills.

Basinger is currently filming a remake of "The Getaway" with her companion, Alec Baldwin.