The singer's lawyer claims her father, Jamie Spears, is asking 'for approximately $2 million in payment' to step down as conservator.
Britney Spears' lawyer claims the singer's father, Jamie Spears, is attempting to extort millions to step down as conservator of her estate.
In new documents obtained by ET, attorney Mathew Rosengart alleges that Jamie is seeking $2 million in payments. Included in the sum are $1.3 million in attorneys’ fees, $500,000 to Britney's former management company and additional payments to Jamie himself.
In response to the latest court filing by Britney's team, a rep for Jamie tells ET, "There is no comment at this time."
"The status quo is no longer tolerable, and Britney Spears will not be extorted," Rosengart wrote in the documents filed on Monday. "Mr. Spears’s blatant attempt to barter 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."
"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,” Rosengart added, also asking the court for the suspension and removal of Jamie as soon as possible.
"As we wrote in our new filing with the Court that was released today, however, the quid pro quo preconditions that Mr. Spears’s sought in his August 12, 2021 court filing are inappropriate and unacceptable. Britney Spears will not be bullied or extorted by her father," Rosengart says in a statement. "Nor does Mr. Spears have the right to try to hold his daughter hostage by setting the terms of his removal."
"This is not about him, it is about the best interests of his daughter, which as a matter of law, mandate his removal," the statement continues. "Even putting aside the legal issues requiring his prompt removal, if he loves his daughter, Mr. Spears should resign now, today, before he is suspended. It would be the correct and decent thing to do."
Earlier this month, Jamie agreed to step down as conservator of Britney's estate "when the time is right." He also noted that he would work with the court on an orderly transition.
"Even as Mr. Spears is the unremitting target of unjustified attacks, he does not believe that a public battle with his daughter over his continuing service as her conservator would be in her best interests," Jamie's lawyer stated in the legal docs obtained by ET at the time. "So, even though he must contest this unjustified Petition for his removal, Mr. Spears intends to work with the Court and his daughter's new attorney to prepare for an orderly transition to a new conservator."
"Regardless of his formal title, Mr. Spears will always be Ms. Spears' father," the docs continued. "He will always love her unconditionally, and he will always look out for her best interests."
In a statement to ET, Rosengart called Jamie's decision to step down "a major victory for Britney Spears and another step toward justice."
Rosengart previously filed a motion on Aug. 5, requesting that the judge expedite the removal of the pop star's father ahead of the scheduled Sept. 29 hearing. Britney and her lawyer requested that Jason Rubin step in as temporary conservator.
Britney's mom, Lynne Spears, also supported the decision to have Jamie be removed.
"Lynne Spears is pleased Jamie has agreed to step down," Gladstone N. Jones, Lynne's attorney, told ET. "Lynne entered into this conservatorship to protect her daughter almost three years ago. She has accomplished what she set out to do. She will have no further comment."
For more on the legal battle, watch below.
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