Jamie Spears will step down from his lead role in Britney Spears’ conservatorship following his daughter’s petition in July to have her father removed after 13 years in control of her life.
TMZ first reported that Jamie Spears filed legal documents to remove himself from the conservatorship, even though he questioned whether a change in conservator would be in Britney’s “best interests.”
“Nevertheless, even as Mr. Spears is the unremitting target of unjustified attacks, he does not believe that a public battle with his daughter over his continuing service as her conservator would be in her best interests,” the legal docs state (via Insider). “So, even though he must contest this unjustified Petition for his removal, Mr. Spears intends to work with the Court and his daughter’s new attorney to prepare for an orderly transition to a new conservator.”
Lawyers for Jamie and Britney Spears did not respond to Rolling Stone’s request at press time.
A bulk of the filing also cast blame on Britney’s mother Lynne Spears. “At Ms. Spears’ request and instruction, Lynne has had little if any involvement in the Conservatorship — let alone Ms. Spears’ life — for most of the 13 years that it has been in place,” the filing states. “The Court cannot rely on the unsupported claims and speculations of someone whom Ms. Spears has avoided speaking with for most of her adult life. (Despite this, Mr. Spears or other members of the team of professionals often encouraged Ms. Spears to speak with her mother, with the hope of repairing that relationship, and Ms. Spears obliged sometimes.)”
The filing continues, “Mr. Spears continues to serve dutifully, and he should not be suspended or removed, and certainly not based on false allegations. Mr. Spears is willing to step down when the time is right, but the transition needs to be orderly and include a resolution of matters pending before the Court. In order to reach that result, the Court should encourage all interested parties to meet and confer in order to resolve those pending matters in the best interests of Ms. Spears.”
Britney’s newly hired lawyer Mathew S. Rosengart — who filed the petition calling for Jamie’s removal — told TMZ in a statement, “We are pleased but not necessarily surprised that Mr. Spears and his lawyer finally recognize that he must be removed. We are disappointed, however, by their ongoing shameful and reprehensible attacks on Ms. Spears and others.”
Rosengart continued, “We look forward to continuing our vigorous investigation into the conduct of Mr. Spears, and others, over the past 13 years, while he reaped millions of dollars from his daughter’s estate, and I look forward to taking Mr. Spears’s sworn deposition in the near future. In the interim, rather than making false accusations and taking cheap shots at his own daughter, Mr. Spears should step aside immediately.”
At a conservatorship hearing in June, Britney accused her father and the conservatorship of oppressively controlling her finances, business and personal decisions, and her own body; she told the court that she was prescribed lithium against her will, and was told she was not allowed to get married, have another child, or have her own IUD removed.
“All I want is to own my money… and for this to end… and for my boyfriend to be able to fucking drive me in his car. And honestly…. I want to be able to sue my family,” Spears said during the hearing. She added, “I truly believe this conservatorship is abusive.”
Following the hearing, Britney’s court-appointed lawyer resigned from the conservatorship. At another hearing a few weeks later, the singer told the court she wanted her father charged “conservatorship abuse,” Spears said, “This conservatorship has allowed my dad to ruin my life.” Weeks later, the petition for Jamie’s removal was formally filed.
From Rolling Stone US
