Britney Spears’s father Jamie wants pop star to continue paying his legal fees
Singer’s lawyer said Jamie’s request was ‘shameful’
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Your support makes all the difference.Britney Spears’s father Jamie wants the pop star to continue paying his legal bills despite stepping down as the singer’s conservator in September this year.
In documents filed last week, Britney’s estranged father has requested a court order directing that his lawyers’ fees be paid by the “Toxic” hitmaker’s legal estate, as per a Variety report.
On 12 November, Los Angeles Superior Court judge Brenda Penny ruled that controversial conservatorship Spears was placed under in 2008 “is no longer required”.
However, both parties continue to appear before Penny to work out the finer details related to the termination of Spears’s 13-year-long conservatorship.
Britney was required to pay all her father’s legal bills, as well as foot her own legal expenses, over the course of their bitter conservatorship battle.
In last week’s filing, Britney’s father said that “prompt payment on account of Jamie’s attorneys’ fees” is required to “quickly and efficiently” bring an end to the conservatorship proceedings.
The filing also stated 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” while defending himself against “baseless allegations”.
In a statement to The Independent, Spears’s lawyer Mathew Rosengart said Jamie’s request was “shameful”.
Rosengart’s statement read: “Mr Spears reaped many millions of dollars from Britney as a conservator, while paying his lawyers millions more, all from Britney’s work and hard earned money.
Referring to Spear’s testimony alleging her father restricted her personal and financial freedoms to an unconscionable degree, Rosengart continued: “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.”
Britney accused her father of “conservatorship abuse” in an explosive testimony before judge Penny in June this year. He was also accused of financial mismanagement, with Spears’ former manager Lou Taylor, while he was serving as Spears’s co-conservator in a recent expose by The New York Times. Jamie has denied any allegations of wrongdoing.
Variety reports that the senior Britney legal counsel Alex Weingarten charges $1,200 (£907) per hour.
The Independent has reached out to Weingarten for comment.
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