Jamie Spears suddenly agrees with Britney’s desire to end her conservatorship and now that a potential investigation is underway, he’s ready to call it quits immediately.
Her new lawyer believes Jamie only wants out to avoid any accountability.
via People:
After years of insisting that his daughter Britney Spears’ conservatorship was necessary, Jamie Spears unexpectedly reversed his stance in September — and now the pop star’s attorney Mathew Rosengart is claiming that he had ulterior motives to do so.
New court documents filed on Oct. 28 show that two weeks before Jamie, 69, filed a petition on Sept. 7 to terminate Britney’s 13-year long conservatorship, he had received discovery requests from Rosengart seeking information about the role of the estate’s former business manager, Tri Star Sports & Entertainment Group.
Then during the most recent court hearing on Sept. 29, Jamie’s former lawyer Vivian L. Thoreen pushed for immediate termination of the conservatorship rather than Jamie’s suspension from his role as conservator of her $60 million estate. (Ultimately, Jamie was suspended, and he has since hired a new lawyer, Alex Weingarten, in preparation for an investigation into his finances. A termination would have avoided this.)
Rosengart also noted that an email from Jamie’s new attorney sent on Oct. 22 read, “As far as Jamie is concerned, the conservatorship is done and can be terminated immediately … So it is said in no uncertain terms my client has no interest in continuing the conservatorship and I will join in any effort to terminate immediately.”
In the court documents, Rosengart — who filed a request on Oct. 1 to have Jamie deposed — questioned whether Jamie was “motivated by a desire to bolster his reputation or to avoid his deposition or responding to the outstanding discovery served on him in August.”
Jamie’s lawyer did not immediately respond to PEOPLE’s request for comment.
In his discovery request, Rosengart, who took over in July as Britney’s lawyer, is seeking all documents regarding communications between Jamie and Tri Star; all documents regarding any agreements between Jamie and Tri Star; all communications regarding payments made to Tri Star from the estate; and all payments made by the estate for legal services provided to Tri Star.
Rosengart also seeks to ask Jamie under oath how much money he has received from his daughter’s estate since the conservatorship’s inception in 2008.
Additionally, Rosengart is requesting all documents and communications relating to the electronic surveillance of Britney’s personal telephone and the placement of any recording devices in her home. It is unclear when any depositions will take place.
Britney’s next court hearing is set for Nov. 12., and it’s expected to focus on the potential termination of her conservatorship, which Britney, 39, also filed a petition in September to end.
“After more than a decade, the time has come for Ms. Spears’s freedom,” Rosengart said in the court documents. “Ms. Spears has made her wishes known about ending the conservatorship she has endured for so long and she has pleaded with this Court to ‘let her have her life back,’ without an evaluation, recently attending two Court hearings and asking this Court directly to end the conservatorship. It is respectfully submitted — with the consent of all parties — that the time has come.”
After 13 years in the role, Jamie stepped down as his daughter’s personal conservator in late 2019. (Jodi Montgomery, Britney’s longtime care manager, replaced Jamie as the conservator of her person, responsible for medical decisions, while Jamie remained on as the conservator of her estate.)
In the months that followed, Britney fought in court to have her father removed from her conservatorship. Since getting her wish in September (accountant John Zabel is now temporarily in Jamie’s role), “she is very hopeful,” a source previously told PEOPLE. “Britney thinks everything will be totally different with Jamie out of her life.”
She shared a new post to Instagram Tuesday, “The moment I SMILE ? and I realize I haven’t in a very long time !!!! My mom gets so CONCERNED and says ‘You’re acting weird … what’s wrong with you ???’ I say ‘Hi, my name is Britney Spears … nice to finally meet you !!!’ Before I go any further, forgive me in advance …. It’s been 13 years and I’m a little rusty ????? !!!! It was a family business before … it’s no longer that anymore !!!! I was BORN today cause I get to SMILE … so thank you for exiting out of my life and finally allowing me to live mine !!!! Psssss do I know how mean I sound ??? Yes … I 100 billion percent I do ???????? !!!!”
For his part, Jamie has defended his role as the conservator of Britney’s estate and has insisted that he only ever had his daughter’s best interest at heart.
“Mr. Spears loves his daughter Britney unconditionally. For 13 years, he has tried to do what is in her best interests, whether as a conservator or her father,” read a statement released by Thoreen on Sept. 30.
“This started with agreeing to serve as her conservator when she voluntarily entered into the conservatorship. This included helping her revive her career and re-establish a relationship with her children,” the statement continued. “For anyone who has tried to help a family member dealing with mental health issues, they can appreciate the tremendous amount of daily worry and work this required.”
“Despite the suspension, Mr. Spears will continue to look out for the best interests of his daughter and work in good faith towards a positive resolution of all matters,” the statement concluded.
Jamie really needs to go to jail if what has been alleged is true. We hope Britney gets the full investigation she deserves.
