Britney Spears’ lawyer has demanded her father Jamie resigns from her conservatorship immediately.
In a new legal filing, the singer’s attorney Mathew Rosengart requested Jamie’s immediate suspension from his role, and accused him of trying to extort money from his daughter.
It alleged that Jamie, who agreed to step down as Britney’s conservator last month, is asking for about $2 million in payments to his legal team and former business manager Tri Star.
Mathew said: “Mr Spears and his counsel are now on notice: the status quo is no longer tolerable, and Britney Spears will not be extorted.”
“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.”
Jamie has overseen his daughter’s multimillion-dollar estate since 2008, when she was placed under a conservatorship after suffering an alleged breakdown.
A conservatorship is granted to those who are incapable of making decisions, such as people with mental disabilities.
According to court documents obtained by E! News, Britney’s estate is worth $57.4 million – which includes $2.7 million in cash assets, and $54.7 million in non-cash assets.
Britney’s lawyer said Jamie’s immediate removal is necessary, and has asked Judge Brenda Penny to remove him at the next hearing on 29 September.
He also told Jamie that going voluntarily immediately would be the “legally correct, decent and graceful thing to do”.
He said: “The world heard Ms Spears’s courageous and compelling testimony. Britney Spears’s life matters. Her well-being matters. Every day matters. There is no basis to wait.”
Also in the filing, Mathew accused Jamie of wanting to be praised for his role in the conservatorship before he exits.
In court documents filed last month, Jamie’s legal team said he would step down and help with an “orderly” transition in the case but argued there are “no actual grounds” for his suspension or removal.
Mathew said: “His idea of ‘orderly’ is to hang on until someone first brands him ‘father of the year’ and awards him a gold star for his ‘service’.”
“In other words, although Mr Spears has, at last, been forced to recognise that it is best for his daughter if he departs now, he claims the right to drag his feet because it is best for him to cling to this conservatorship until he feels sufficiently-vindicated.”
“Mr Spears must resign or be suspended no later than September 29, 2021,” the filing added.
Britney’s conservatorship has been under review since 2019 after she accused her father of forcing her to enter a mental health facility.
In November last year, the songstress tried to have her father removed as her conservator, but her request was denied.
Instead, a judge named wealth management firm the Bessemer Trust as co-conservator of her estate, alongside her father. However, Bessemer Trust has since resigned from the role.
