It’s not a great day to be Jamie Spears. Britney Spears’ lawyer has blasted Jamie’s demand that Britney cover his legal fees following his suspension from her now-terminated conservatorship, and the singer herself has called out her family on Instagram.
Variety obtained a copy of Jamie’s request, which claims that “[p]rompt payment on account of Jamie’s attorneys’ fees is necessary to ensure the Conservatorship can be wound up quickly and efficiently to allow Britney to take control of her life as she and Jamie desire.” The trade reports that Jamie’s attorney charges $1,200 per hour—an expense his daughter has covered for 13 years, in addition to her own legal fees as she fought the conservatorship.
In a statement to Variety, Britney’s attorney, Mathew Rosengart, ripped Jamie’s request.
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“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,” Rosengart said. “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,” the statement concludes. “This is not what a father who loves his daughter does.”
On Monday night, after news of her father’s request broke, Britney appeared to subtly speak out as well. Alongside a series of photos taken outdoors, which fans frequently see on the singer’s Instagram grid, she included a curious caption. “I haven’t had my pic taken by a photographer in nearly 4 years,” she wrote. “…When I went home the coffee would always disappear in the cabinets and also the pics of me beside the coffee pot… so nice to be loved by family.”
Britney and her father’s public battle over legal fees follows a recent New York Times investigation into Lou Taylor’s conduct as the singer’s manager—specifically, into questions surrounding whether she improperly enriched herself with Jamie’s help. (Jamie’s attorney responded with a statement that claimed his “administration of Britney’s estate was always consistent with Britney’s best interests,” adding, “Jamie has nothing to hide and will therefore hide nothing.” An attorney for Taylor, meanwhile, told the Times that her company, Tri Star, “faithfully served the estate” and helped Britney amass her considerable fortune.)
Public interest in the arrangement had been steadily climbing for years, fueled by New York Times investigations, documentaries, and fans’ unwavering #FreeBritney campaign.
It was Britney’s own account in June, however, that truly galvanized the public. In 23 minutes of shattering court testimony, the singer was finally able to tell her own story. As heartbreaking as the abuses she described certainly were, her fury left an even deeper impression.
“I thought just maybe, if I said that enough, maybe I might become happy, because I’ve been in denial,” she told the Court. “I’ve been in shock. I am traumatized. You know, fake it till you make it. But now I’m telling you the truth, OK? I’m not happy. I can’t sleep. I’m so angry it’s insane. And I’m depressed. I cry every day.”
Los Angeles Superior Court Judge Brenda Penny suspended Jamie Spears from his daughter’s conservatorship in September. Months later, Penny terminated the 13-year arrangement altogether. Disability rights advocates hope that Britney’s case will spark deeper public interest in the broader questions surrounding conservatorships that affect droves of people each day. The National Council on Disability reports that in 2018, roughly 1.3 million people with disabilities were living under guardianships.
