Bubba attorney invokes Fifth during MJ trial

TAMPA (FOX 13) - The now-infamous defamation lawsuit that pitted radio rivals Todd "MJ" Schnitt and Bubba the Love Sponge against one another ended with a big win for Bubba.

Today, however, Schnitt and his wife are still wrapped up in the court system, being sued by their former lawyers - Shumaker, Loop and Kendrick - for not paying their legal fees.

Also recall, right in the middle of the defamation trial, the Schnitts' attorney, Phil Campbell was arrested for a DUI.

This week, Attorney Jon Ellis explained the meltdown his former client Todd "MJ" Schnitt had the moment the news broke Campbell, his lead attorney, had been arrested.

"He threw his papers down. He was swearing. He was upset. He was just in a tirade over it, " said Ellis.

Campbell's arrest was an instant punch line on Bubba's radio show, but soon the DUI was exposed as a setup and the plot began to unravel.

It turns out, attorneys who represented Bubba - Stephen Diaco, Robert Adams, and Adam Filthaut, along with a legal assistant - were behind the plot have Phil arrested. They even recruited the head of TPD's DUI squad to help.

Attorney Jaime Austrich with Shumaker, Loop and Kendrick investigated the setup on the Schnitts' behalf. Austrich said there was no end to their determination to reveal the DUI scheme.  

"There is no amount of information or expense that they were willing to go through in order to bring down their arch nemesis Bubba the Love Sponge," Austrich explained.

One of Bubba's attorneys, Stephen Diaco seemed to squirm on the stand as he said, "by advice of counsel I invoke the Fifth Amendment," Monday during court.

Meanwhile, the Schnitts are counter suing, claiming the defamation case should have never been filed because it was not winnable.

They also blame Campbell for bad advice, bad legal strategy and dirty tactics.

The Schnitts want the legal fees they have already paid to Shumaker, Loop and Kendrick reimbursed.