Hardly a costume change later, Lady Gaga is now countersuing ex-boyfriend Rob Fusari.  Last week, Fusari lodged a $30 million-plus lawsuit against Gaga, alleging unfair bilking of royalties.  Fusari claimed a critical role in the formation, conceptualization, and transformation of Stefani Germanotta into the current pop juggernaut, though the Gaga camp is questioning that account of the relationship. 

But the real contention surrounds contractual agreements.  Fusari is waving a contract in the air, though Gaga lawyers are now pointing to an illegal agreement.  "The above described arrangement was structured in such a way as to mask its true purpose - to provide to the Defendants unlawful compensation for their services as unlicensed employment agents," Germanotta attorneys noted.

The legal volleys are producing a cloud of questions.  Is Fusari simply a fuming ex-boyfriend, and the legal filings a mere War of the Roses?  Or, is Gaga really stepping on her early shapers, and bilking a deserving Fusari?  The stakes are high for Fusari: an award would catapult the producer, while a defeat would cast Fusari as a money-grubber worth avoiding.