Britney Spears and her new attorney say her father is trying to get about $2 million in payments before stepping down from the conservatorship that controls her life and money, a move they liken to extortion in a court filing Tuesday.
The document filed by lawyer Mathew Rosengart says the upcoming scheduled accounting of the conservatorship, which James Spears says he wants completed before he steps down, will mean significant payments for him.
“Britney Spears will not be extorted,” the filing says. “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.”
A representative for James Spears did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
The filing is a supplement to Rosengart’s July petition on Britney Spears’ behalf for the removal and suspension of James Spears, which will be addressed at a Sept. 29 hearing.
In his response, James Spears revealed that he had already been planning to step down from his daughter’s conservatorship, which he has controlled at least in part since it was established in 2008.
But James Spears offered no timetable for his departure, saying it would come only after several lingering issues, including the next accounting, are resolved.
James Spears said he would fight any attempt to force him out, that there were no grounds for doing so, and that he has always only acted in his daughter’s best interest.
Rosengart’s latest filing contends that while there is plenty of misconduct to address, it is not yet the issue.
“The only question before the Court — which has, unfortunately, been lost for years — is whether Mr. Spears’ prompt suspension and removal are in best the interests of Britney Spears,” the filing says, later adding that “the unequivocal answer is yes.”
Since 2019, James Spears has controlled only his daughter’s finances, after stepping down as the overseer of her personal life…..read more
Source: AP
