Hilary Duff's Dad Gets Jail Time

Hilary Duff will be turning 21 in a month, but right now she might not feel much like celebrating. Yesterday a Texas judged sentenced her father, Bob Duff, to 10 days in jail for contempt of court, after he sold assets without court approval.

The Houston Chronicle online reports that the latest turn in the bitter divorce hearings between Hilary's mom, Susan, and dad led to heated exchanges in the court room Wednesday. Susan had asked Judge Thomas Stansbury to order Bob to cough up $25,000 for a birthday party and present for Hilary, whose birthday is Sept. 28.

Susan maintains that the sum is the same amount that was spent on Hilary's sister Haylie a few years ago on her 21st birthday, and that her daughter deserves "to have some kind of recognition for a young life well-lived," in the face of "abandonment" by her father. The judge finally awarded $12,500 to Susan for Hilary's birthday.

Bob was led away in handcuffs for the sale of stocks he sold last month, and ordered to pay the $367,537 he made into a court repository, as well as the 10 days to be spent in jail.

Neither Hilary nor Haylie were present in the courtroom yesterday.