Britney Spears is about to add another chapter in her conservatorship saga that continues to play out in court despite a judge ending the ordeal in November after more than 13 years.
In a 256-page court filing submitted to the Los Angeles Superior Court and dated Wednesday, Spears’ attorney, former federal prosecutor Mathew Rosengart, argues in opposition to the efforts of Jamie Spears, the pop star’s father, to have his new legal fees paid by his daughter’s estate.
Writing on behalf of the 40-year-old Spears, Rosengart said his client believes her father isn’t holding up his end of the bargain when it comes to wiping his hands with the conservatorship altogether like he previously agreed to do.
“Mr. Spears is still acting faithlessly, elevating his interests above those of his daughter and her Estate, as his own Petition demonstrates,” the filing reads in part.
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It continues: “As summarized herein and in the accompanying Declaration of Sherine Ebadi, a highly-decorated former FBI Special Agent with substantial expertise and experience investigating and prosecuting federal criminal matters, Mr. Spears has failed to cooperate with this firm’s ongoing investigation with Kroll Inc. (a preeminent global investigative consulting firm) failed to produce relevant documents and information in a timely, organized, and professional manner; and failed to comply with his discovery obligations or answer basic financial questions, instead choosing obfuscation and stonewalling.”
“It also bears noting at the outset that Mr. Spears’s Petition is, disappointingly, misleading and in many respects outright deceptive,” the submission adds. “By way of brief illustration only, the Petition’s very first sentence states that “[p]rompt payment of Jamie’s attorney’s fees [from Britney’s Estate] is necessary to ensure the Conservatorship can be wound up quickly and efficiently to allow Britney to take control of her life.”
On Wednesday, Judge Brenda Penny refused to allow monies be set aside for Jamie’s fees and has not yet determined who would be on the hook for the legal fees he accrued while at the helm of Spears’ estate. According to People magazine, Spears’ estate was also transferred over to her. It is managed by Miller Kaplan.
Snooping on conversations?
In a separate 27-page filing also dated Wednesday, former FBI Special Agent Ebadi corroborates claims made by ex-Black Box Security employee Alex Vlasov in a New York Times documentary titled, “Controlling Britney Spears,” that alleges Jamie Spears monitored his daughter’s phone calls and invaded her privacy by snooping on conversations that took place between her attorneys, her children and even those of her now-fianc? Sam Asghari.
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“According to Mr. Vlasov, Black Box sent Ms. Spears’s personal communications to Mr. Spears at his explicit request. Mr. Spears would on occasion ask Black Box to send him specific items from Ms. Spears’s iCloud, such as therapy notes or text messages,” the court submission reads.
“It should be noted that Mr. Spears was aware that he was expressly prohibited from reviewing Ms. Spears’s therapy notes without her permission, following his removal as Conservator of the Person in 2019. In fact, after Mr. Spears expressed displeasure to counsel for the Conservator in April 2019 that he didn’t “have power to see her physics [sic] records,” counsel explained to him that he would need Ms. Spears’s permission “to see notes on what she discusses with her psychiatrist,” it adds.
Ebadi maintains in the testimony that communications between Spears and her personal court-appointed attorney, Sam Ingham, were among the private communications that Black Box and Jamie monitored on a regular basis.
Britney Spears says she helped raise sister Jamie Lynn Spears at various points in their lives as young stars. (Getty Images)
“Mr. Vlasov told me that Mr. Spears was particularly interested in his daughter’s attorney-client communications and wanted regular updates from Black Box on the substance of those privileged messages,” Ebadi says. “Surveillance of Ms. Spears’s communications with her lawyer continued until at least 2020, when Mr. Yemini instructed Mr. Vlasov to cease reviewing attorney-client privileged communications.
“On the same day he gave those instructions, Mr. Yemini forwarded Mr. Vlasov an email from Sam Ingham to counsel for the Conservator and Yemini, among others, with the subject line, “Britney’s phone.” In that email, Mr. Ingham sought confirmation from Conservator’s counsel that, in connection with the purchase of a new phone for Ms. Spears, no one other than Ms. Spears “can access her calls, voicemails, or texts, directly or indirectly.”
‘Out of context’
According to People, Jamie Spears’ attorney Alex M. Weingarten called the pop star’s accusations “nonsense” in Wednesday’s court hearing.
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“Virtually everything that is alleged is … fake or taken out of context,” Weingarten said, referencing Spears’ allegations against his client.
Per the outlet, Weingarten claimed there’s “sealed” information about the “Toxic” singer’s case that would “demonstrate that there is no evidence to these allegations.”
Weingarten also reportedly requested the judge to unseal Spears’ health records next month, stating that the “public has the right to know” more context. Rosengart asked this to be held off until April 15, so he can prepare a response.
Wednesday’s hearing reportedly saw fiery exchanges between the two lawyers, with Rosengart exclaiming “lies” at Weingarten, Variety reported.
Britney Spears will argue in opposition to her father Jamie Spears’ effort to have his new legal fees be paid by his daughter’s estate. (Associated Press/Getty Images)
The court may also hear Rosengart on Thursday in which he could demand that Jamie return millions of dollars to Spears. The hearing comes after Rosengart sent Spears’ sister, Jamie Lynn, a cease and desist on Monday, claiming the former Nickelodeon star had been “referencing Britney derogatorily during [Jamie Lynn’s] promotional campaign for her upcoming memoir, “Things I Should Have Said.”
“If you fail to do so or defame her, Britney will be forced to consider and take all appropriate legal action,” the memorandum obtained by Fox News Digital reads.
“We write with hesitation because the last thing Britney wants is to bring more attention to your ill-timed book and its misleading or outrageous claims about her,” the letter continues.
‘Exploited her’
Rosengart added that his client has no intention of reading the book but is shocked that Jamie Lynn has “exploited her for monetary gain.”
“She will not tolerate it, nor should she,” the attorney stated.
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He continued: “You of all people know the abuse and wrongdoing Britney had to endure during the conservatorship, after initially growing up with a ‘ruinous,’ alcoholic father.”
Taking another shot at the star, Rosengart added, “Britney was the family’s breadwinner, and she also otherwise supported you. Publicly airing false or fantastical grievances is wrong, especially when designed to sell books. It is also potentially unlawful and defamatory.”
Britney Spears, right, has been trading public jabs with her family on social media as her sister, Jamie Lynn, left, prepared to release a memoir, titled, ‘Things I Should Have Said.’ (Getty Images)
Spears has gone on to skewer her sister as well as her mother, Lynne Spears, in recent days – writing in a lengthy Instagram caption that she should have “slapped” both of them right across their faces.
Boiling point
In the since-deleted post, Spears’ animosity toward her family reached its boiling point when she referenced returning home after her breakup with Justin Timberlake.
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“I flew home to Jamie Lynn on the couch watching her tv shows right after Justin and I broke up… I was a ghost there [ghost emoji] !!!!!” Spears began her diatribe.
“meanwhile Jamie Lynn is 12, she indulges with the TV for hours then goes to lay out on a raft at the pool … I’m in shock because this was never my life !!!! Justin’s family was all I knew for many years … Things were different now and Jamie Lynn had a new Nickelodeon show … ALl i remember saying was ‘D–N !!! How the h–l does a 12 year old land a Nickelodeon show ????’ ….. HMMMMMMMM ….”
Spears went on to allege Lynne was on pain medication that kept her from holding a conversation during this time.
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“…as Jamie Lynn says, I was scared !!!! F— yeah !!! My Mamma was on pain medication and could barely hold a conversation in the house because her and my dad split and she was more messed up than anything !!!!” Spears alleged. “I remember her sitting on the floor in a conversation nd she never got up… and I’m sorry Jamie Lynn, I wasn’t strong enough to do what should have been don’t … slapped you and Mamma right across your f—ing faces !!!!!”
Jamie Lynn also talked about the time following the breakup from her perspective in Wednesday’s “Call Her Daddy” podcast episode.
Made $6 million
Meanwhile, in court documents obtained by TMZ, Spears alleges that her father Jamie made $6 million over the course of the legal guardianship.
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The docs reportedly also allege Jamie “engaged in self-dealing, financial and business mismanagement … engaged in abusive and bullying conduct toward his daughter, [and] deprived his daughter of fundamental civil liberties …,” per the outlet.
Part of the $6 million that Jamie earned was used to pitch a television show called “Cookin’ Cruzin’ & Chaos,” the docs state, per the outlet. Additionally, Jamie was accused of covering the costs of converting a tour bus into a food truck to help him sell the show.
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Furthermore, Spears and Rosengart accused Jamie of “chronic alcohol abuse impairing his ability to serve faithfully.”
A rep for Jamie Spears did not immediately respond to Fox News’ request for comment.
Fox News’ Nate Day contributed to this report.
