Ugly lawsuit filed by Kovac against LaPolt

RATS IN THE CELLAR: Steven Tyler is caught in the middle of a raging dispute between his former manager and current lawyer—a dispute that has now turned into a major lawsuit, according to TMZ. While serving as Tyler’s manager, the item explains, Allen Kovac negotiated the deal for the Aerosmith frontman to be a judge on American Idol, and at the end of last season, he brought in attorney Dina LaPolt to help negotiate a new deal. In a lawsuit Kovac filed against LaPolt—obtained by TMZ—he alleges she sucked up to Idol execs by disclosing Kovac's negotiating strategy, which impeded Kovac in his attempt to get Tyler an additional $6-8 million in the current season. Instead, the suit claims, Tyler was offered no raise, so he decided to walk, getting a severance check from Idol, but LaPolt screwed Kovac out of the commission he was entitled as well. Oddly, the suit never mentions Tyler by name, but informed sources told the gossip site that he is indeed the artist at the center of the case. Kovac, who is repped by attorney Skip Miller, wants a minimum of $8 million from LaPolt. (10/12a)