For the record: single dads and Debra Opri don't mix.

As he attempts to put his bitter divorce behind him, David Hasselhoff must deal with another legal headache in the form of the high-profile, high-priced attorney who is demanding the Hoff pay her upwards of $200,000 in attorney's fees for representing ex-wife Pamela Bach.

The irony is that Opri wants the hefty sum even though she was fired by Bach in June after losing a court bid for custody of the couple's two teenage daughters.

At a hearing Thursday in Los Angeles Superior Court, Opri contended the 54-year-old America's Got Talent judge owed her the money because his former missus was essentially broke. Opri said she agreed to take Bach's case with the proviso that all legal expenses would be paid from Hasselhoff's share of the community property—a financial obligation that couldn’t be dismissed just because she was.

"She gave me the express directive, 'You have to go after Mr. Hasselhoff,' " Opri told Judge Mark A. Juhas.

Bach, 43, sat quietly during Opri's presentation. She is represented, at least for the time being, by Mark Vincent Kaplan.

Hasselhoff didn't attend the hearing, leaving the wrangling to his attorney, Melvin S. Goldsman.

Goldsman refuted Opri's claims, saying the Baywatch star has already shelled out more than $565,000 to 11 of Bach's lawyers over the course of the divorce.

"Ms. Bach indicated to the court through her [current] attorney that she did not consent to Ms. Opri seeking her fees from Mr. Hasselhoff, and she had her own issues with Ms. Opri regarding these fees," he told E! Online.

Opri did not return phone calls seeking comment. However, her publicist (this is Hollywood), James Levesque, said Opri wasn't in the business of discussing her billing practices.

"She has a policy of not commenting on fees, because in the past when others have leaked information or details about that, it's just led to misinformation and bad press," he said.

This is the second time in the past three months that Opri has gone to court seeking money from a celebrity client who axed her.

Opri originally fronted Larry Birkhead in his highly publicized paternity suit against Anna Nicole Smith over their daughter, Dannielynn, but he dumped her earlier this year after she sent him a bill for $650,000 that he claimed included some dubious charges. Birkhead wound up suing her for more than $1 million, accusing her of defrauding him, using his case to boost her career and putting her own interests ahead of his.

As she did with Birkhead, Opri initially denied being dropped by Bach, with her spokesman noting only that she remained the "attorney of record" until the necessary paperwork was completed.

At Thursday's hearing however, she acknowledged Bach firing her for losing the custody fight but added that her petition for redress was not unreasonable in light of Hasselhoff paying his own legal team $1 million.

Goldsman disputed that sum. He said that while the entertainer has indeed paid a substantial amount personally, some of those payments also derived from the community property.

"Miss Opri has no authority to make these requests on her own," the attorney told the court.

Bach current counsel, Kaplan, did not respond to Opri's claims. However, he's not exactly on Bach's Christmas card list, either.

A source told E! News that the lawyer, who also is representing Kevin Federline in his custody battle with Britney Spears, signed a release asking out of the case. But Bach has refused to sign off on it.

In a separate matter, Juhas ruled in favor of a request by Goldsman for Bach to remove Hasselhoff's name from her car insurance policies. The attorney sought the order because of Bach's bad motoring skills, which have seen her get into several auto accidents lately, including a minor fender bender that resulted in a hit-and-run charge.

"We asked that the lease on the car she's driving be changed so that it appears in her name only and that she pays the auto insurance on the automobiles she drives," he said.

The judge put off making a decision on the attorney's fees and other issues regarding additional spousal support for Bach until a nonjury trial kicks off Oct. 1. The next hearing in the case is scheduled for Sept. 10.