Deejay A Deadbeat?

DECEMBER 12--Samantha Ronson, the celebrity DJ and Lindsay Lohan pal, is being sued for nearly $165,000 in unpaid legal fees racked up during her recent unsuccessful defamation lawsuit against blogger Perez Hilton.

In July, Ronson, 30, sued Hilton (real name: Mario Lavandeira) and Celebrity Babylon, another online gossip outfit, after they reported she was the owner of cocaine police found in Lohan's car following a May auto crash (after which Lohan was arrested for DUI). While Celebrity Babylon agreed to print a retraction, a California judge last month tossed Ronson's complaint against Hilton and ordered her to pay the blogger's legal fees, which Hilton tabs at $93,000.

Ronson is also facing a six-figure claim from the New York law firm she retained to file the defamation suit, according to this New York State Supreme Court complaint. After claiming that she was unable to pay bills from Davis & Gilbert, Ronson 'failed to return calls, missed appointments, and otherwise acted in an unprofessional manner, making the presentation of the case...exceedingly difficult,' charged Davis & Gilbert partner Martin Garbus, one of the country's best known litigators. Ronson, Garbus added, owes his firm $164,930.72, plus interest.

While Ronson has not filed an answer to the lawsuit, her attorney is seeking to have the matter transferred to federal court. (5 pages)