Britney Spears' lawyer wants father out immediately as conservator
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[September 01, 2021]
LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - The father
of Britney Spears should step down immediately and without conditions
from his role as conservator of her estate, the singer's lawyer said in
court documents.
Mathew Rosengart, the pop star's lawyer, accused Jamie Spears of trying
to link his departure from his 13-year-long role with payment of some $2
million in fees to his attorneys and for experts handling the media.
"Britney Spears will not be extorted," Rosengart said in documents filed
with Los Angeles Superior Court on Monday.
"Mr. Spears blatant attempt to barter (his) suspension and removal in
exchange for approximately $2 million in payments, on top of the
millions already reaped from Ms. Spears’s estate by Mr. Spears and his
associates, is a non-starter," Rosengart said.
Jamie Spears said for the first time earlier this month that he would
relinquish control of his daughter's $60 million estate because he did
not believe that a public battle would be in her best interests.
But he gave no date for his departure and said he first wanted to get
the latest bills for work by his attorneys approved by the court. Under
conservatorship rules, Britney Spears pays for all costs incurred by her
and others.
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Britney Spears poses at the premiere of "Once Upon a Time In
Hollywood" in Los Angeles, California, U.S., July 22, 2019.
REUTERS/Mario Anzuoni/File Photo
"Having finally acknowledged that his time as
conservator should end, Mr. Spears is obligated to step down without
condition and without seeking to extract anything further from his
daughter. Indeed, Mr. Spears should resign now and if he does not,
this Court must suspend him on September 29th," Rosengart said in the filing.
The next court hearing in the increasingly
contentious case is set for Sept. 29.
Jamie Spears has controlled much of his daughter's life since 2008
when she suffered a mental health breakdown. The "Toxic" pop star,
now 39, has been trying for more than a year to remove her father
from the conservatorship and has refused to perform again while he
remains in place.
Lawyers for Jamie Spears did not immediately respond to a request
for comment on the latest filing. Jamie Spears has repeatedly said
that he has acted only in his daughter's interests, to rebuild her
finances and protect her from people trying to exploit her.
(Reporting by Jill Serjeant; Editing by Leslie Adler)
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