Britney Spears’ father demands she pay his legal fees in ‘abominable’ court filing
Britney Spears performs in Rotterdam in 2004. (Getty)
Britney Spears’ lawyer has called her father’s request that she continue paying his legal fees “an abonimation”.
In documents filed last week, Britney’s estranged father Jamie Spears requested a court order which would ensure that the bill for his legal fees would be paid from his daughter’s estate.
This is despite a Los Angeles Superior Court judge, Brenda Penny, having suspended Jamie from Britney’s conservatorship, and subsequently terminating the legal arrangement.
At this point, the conservatorship had lasted 13 years, originally being installed by Jamie in 2008. Britney paid for her legal fees, and her fathers, throughout the arrangement.
Britney told a court investigator that she believed the conservatorship was an “oppressive and controlling tool against her”. In a post on Instagram, she also declared: “This conservatorship killed my dreams . . . so all I have is hope and hope is the only thing in this world that is very hard to kill.”
She has singled out her father in her criticism, saying she hopes to see him jailed.
Despite the termination of the conservatorship, both father and daughter remain entangled in legal proceedings.
Documents filed by Jamie’s lawyer say these are “concerning Jamie’s ongoing fiduciary duties relating to winding up”.
In the filing, Jamie said that “prompt payment on account of Jamie’s attorneys’ fees” is required to “quickly and efficiently” bring an end to the case.
The filings argued that it would set a dangerous precedent if “Jamie’s years of dedication to protect his daughter… could subject him to personal bankruptcy and ruin”. They also dismissed the backlash to coverage of the case as “baseless allegations”.
Britney’s lawyer has been reported as labelling Jamie’s request “an abomination”. Mathew Rosengart, who has represented Madonna in the past, told Variety: “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.”
“Britney 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.”
Since the ruling, Britney has praised her fans in the Free Britney movement for their contributions to her freedom. In a post on Instagram, she wrote that she “cried last night for two hours” because “my fans are the best”, and “I know it”.
“I feel your hearts and you feel mine… that much I know is true,” Spears concluded.
