Amanda Bynes’ Lawyer sues actress for owing him $16,000, claims he was her “attendant” and “savior”

By Staff Writer

Feb 08 2015, 09:59 AM EST

Just when things are starting to look up for Amanda Bynes, the former teen queen faces another hurdle, this time in the form of a $16,000 bill she supposedly owes her former lawyer, Artemio Santiago.

TMZ reports that Santiago has filed a legal case against Bynes in the premise that he acted as her "attendant" when the actress was a patient at a Pasadena mental facility last year. Santiago is the very same lawyer Amanda had lunch with when she missed a court hearing.

According to legal documents obtained by the celebrity gossip website, Santiago calls himself as Amanda's "savior." Santiago claims that after hiring him last October when the star was a "mess", the first thing he did was to urge the 27-year-old to take her medications again. He also attended to the "She's the Man" star by bringing her personal items, DVDs, books, ballet shoes, and tights.

But there is one loophole to this possible legal battle. With Amanda being under conservatorship of her parents during the time of Santiago's hiring, it may be possible that her entering a contract with Santiago will be considered null and void. According to InTouch Weekly, Amanda's parents Rick and Lynn have control of her professional and personal affairs via a conservatorship term. Now the star's guardians are arguing that their daughter should be waved from paying because she didn't have the mental capacity to hire a lawyer during that time.

Last October, a judge ruled Lynn to stay as her daughter's conservator-- despite Bynes' objections-- under the ruling that the actress didn't possess the right mental capacity to sign a binding contract or get a lawyer.

Amanda was held under involuntary psychiatric care at The Canyon for five months in 2013 and was released December of the same year. The actress seemed to be getting her life back on track until her conservatorship ended in September 2014 when she was once again involuntarily admitted to a psychiatric hospital (via LatinPost.com).

The actress is reportedly diagnosed with Bipolar disease and Schizophrenia.