Britney Spears’ Father “Profited Handsomely” From Conservatorship & Dissipated Her Fortune, Lawyer Says
Britney Spears’ new lawyer is making good on his promise to “aggressively” file a petition to remove her father Jamie Spears from the pop star’s conservatorship — and he appears to have brought a ton of receipts.
On July 26, Britney’s attorney, Mathew Rosengart, filed a motion in Los Angeles Superior Court to replace Jamie with an accountant, Jason Rubin, to oversee her estate. In the motion, Rosengart lists the reasons why Jamie is unfit to serve any longer as a member of his daughter’s conservatorship, citing their completely ruptured relationship and his “potential misconduct” in handling Britney’s fortune.
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“Serious questions abound concerning Mr. Spears’s potential misconduct, including conflicts of interest, conservatorship abuse and the evident dissipation of Ms. Spears’s fortune, which Mr. Spears has effectively controlled since 2008,” Rosengart wrote in the 120 page document. Jamie has denied all misconduct claims leveled against him.
In terms of Jamie’s handling of her estate, Rosengart asserted that Jamie has “profited handsomely” from the conservatorship, noting that he has compensated himself about $16,000 per month. In contrast, he claimed Britney doesn’t see much of her own profits from her last four albums and world tours since the conservatorship began 13 years ago. Rosengart added a footnote referencing a Forbes report from February that deemed Britney’s net worth as “shockingly low” compared to her pop peers.
Rosengart didn't go as far as to allege that Jamie has been a perpetrator of conservatorship abuse outright as Britney did during her July 14 hearing, but instead wrote that Jamie's behavior could be “self-interested" or "violative of Title 18,” which is a federal crime. The former federal prosecutor did, however, say that his firm is conducting an "active and ongoing" investigation into Jamie's alleged misconduct.
Britney's mother Lynne Spears wrote a declaration in support of Jamie's removal that accompanied the motion, citing his “complete control over her, his mistrust of her, his coercion of her, his ‘bartering’ with her over what she can and cannot do for whatever reward or punishment he is willing to mete out, his constant threats and his decision-making over all aspects of her life.” She pointed to the same 2019 incident that Britney had mentioned among her allegations of abuse against her father. During the alleged physical altercation, Jamie shook Britney and Kevin Federline’s 13-year-old son, Sean Preston, after an argument at his condo. As a result, Federline was granted a restraining order against Jamie.
“Of the actions that solidified the failure of my daughter’s and Mr. Spears’ relationship, the physical altercation between Mr. Spears and the conservatee’s minor children, my grandchildren was perhaps the most appalling and inexcusable, and understandably destroyed whatever was left of a relationship between them,” Lynne stated in the court document.
Rosengart's motion will be addressed in court on September 29.