A day after Fox show, octuplets' mom Nadya Suleman in court over money

Nadya Suleman is scheduled to be back in court today, hoping a judge will throw out an attempt to have an independent guardian review her children's finances.

The hearing comes a day after Fox broadcast a prime-time documentary about her life since giving birth to octuplets. Much of the footage came from Radar Online, which filmed Suleman for months. At one point in the documentary, she says: "I screwed up my life. I screwed up my kids' lives. ... What was I thinking?"

The court case focuses on the money her children receive from such filming.

Last week, an appeals court sided with Suleman in her legal battle with a former child star over whether Suleman's 14 children should have an independent guardian to protect their finances.

The 4th District Court of Appeal stayed a lower-court ruling siding with former Disney Mouseketeer Paul Petersen, who took Suleman to court over the issue. Last month, an Orange County judge agreed to appoint a guardian to examine the finances of the children. 

Petersen, who is an advocate for children in the entertainment industry, alleged that video shot of Suleman's children violated a law aimed at protecting child entertainers from overwork. The suit seeks to create an independent trust for the children.

Suleman said there was no need for a guardian. The lower court today will consider whether to drop the case.

 Suleman, who was already a mother of six, made headlines in January when she gave birth to eight more children. Radar Online and other media organizations have shot video of the children, and Suleman is going to be the focus of an upcoming reality-TV show.

-- Shelby Grad

Photo: Nadya Suleman with two of her octuplets. Credit: Fox