Britney Spears’ father, Jamie Spears, has requested that she continue to cover his legal fees, according to new court documents.
Jamie, along with other lawyers, oversaw Spears’ life and finances as her conservators from 2008 until September this year, when Jamie was officially suspended. He’s faced scrutiny for his role within the conservatorship, which was terminated last month, after Spears publicly denounced him during an emotional court hearing in June.
“My dad and anyone involved in this conservatorship and my management who played a key role in punishing me — ma’am, they should be in jail,” Spears told the judge in June. “This conservatorship has allowed my dad to ruin my life.”
BuzzFeed News uncovered abuse, neglect, and death across the guardianship industry. Read our investigative series "Beyond Britney" here.
“Prompt payment on account of Jamie’s attorneys’ fees is necessary to ensure the Conservatorship can be wound up quickly and efficiently to allow [Spears] to take control of her life as she and Jamie desire,” read the documents, which were filed in Los Angeles last week.
“The fiduciary obligations Jamie owes did not end with his suspension or with the order terminating the Conservatorship," the filings continued.
“Payment of Jamie's attorneys' fees from the Estate is required regardless of the unsupported ad hominem vitriol lodged at him,” they added.
According to reports published by Variety, Jamie’s legal counsel, Alex Weingarten, charges a rate of approximately $1,200 per hour.
One person in particular who condemned Jamie’s request was Spears’ attorney, Mathew Rosengart. According to People, Rosengart called the filing “shameful” in a statement issued on Dec. 20.
“Mr. Spears reaped many millions of dollars from Britney as a conservator, while paying his lawyers millions more, all from Britney's work and hard-earned money,” read Rosengart’s statement.
“The conservatorship has been terminated and Mr. Spears was suspended ignominiously. Under the circumstances, his petition is not only legally meritless, it is an abomination,” it continued.
Rosengart added, “[Spears] poignantly testified about the pain her father caused her and this only adds to it. This is not what a father who loves his daughter does.”
If you’ve been following Spears’ battle to end her conservatorship, you’ll know that Rosengart has played an instrumental role in the fight for her freedom.
Soon after he was first appointed in July, Rosengart revealed he was working “aggressively and expeditiously” to remove Jamie from her conservatorship arrangement.
Weeks before Jamie was suspended from the conservatorship on Sept. 29, Rosengart filed a request that he be suspended immediately following allegations that he’d approved a payment of $500,000 from Spears’ estate without her consent.
And following the suspension, Rosengart continued to criticize Jamie, suggesting that his sudden call for the conservatorship to end was an attempt to “avoid accountability.”
Jamie, however, has repeatedly claimed that he only wants what’s “best” for his daughter, while vehemently denying all allegations of conservatorship abuse.
Meanwhile, Spears herself publicly celebrated as soon as news broke that Jamie had been suspended from his role.
Spears shared a series of celebratory Instagram posts in the hours following Jamie’s suspension, writing about “freedom” and seemingly marking the occasion with a dance.
Similarly, Spears shared her joy in a heartwarming post when the conservatorship was terminated entirely on Nov. 12.
“I think I’m gonna cry the rest of the day !!!!” wrote Spears. “Best day ever... praise the Lord ... Can I get an Amen ???? #FreedBritney.”
And ever since, Spears has repeatedly taken to Instagram to call her family out in a series of posts, often condemning them for their lack of support for her over the past decade.
Just last night, the “Toxic” singer shared a bunch of photos of herself on the platform before throwing a little shade at her family in the caption.
“I shoot myself with a stick… I haven't had my pic taken by a photographer in nearly 4 years !!!!” Spears’ caption began.
“When I went home the coffee would always disappear in the cabinets and also the pics of me beside the coffee pot … so nice to be loved by family !!!!” wrote Spears alongside a series of emojis, including an eye-rolling one.
