Britney Spears and her father Jamie Spears, her former conservator, have resolved their long-running legal dispute over the payment of his legal fees and how he managed her finances during her 13-year conservatorship.
The two sides settled for an undisclosed amount Thursday in Los Angeles County Superior Court after filing the first filing on the issue in December 2021. The deal helps the 42-year-old pop superstar avoid ongoing litigation, including a hearing that had been scheduled for May. for her father's alleged financial misconduct during the controversial legal settlement.
The infamous court-ordered conservatorship, which was implemented in 2008 after Spears exhibited a series of erratic behavior, dictated the superstar's personal and professional life and controlled her money for more than a decade. Jamie Spears, 71, served as conservator of her person and estate for years before stepping down as personal conservator in 2019 for “personal health reasons.” He was removed as guardian of his estate in September 2021 and the legal agreement ended entirely more than two years ago, but fallout over accounting issues and legal fees continued in court until last week.
“Although the conservatorship ended in November 2021, her desire for freedom is now truly complete,” the singer's attorney, Mathew S. Rosengart, said in a statement to the Times on Monday. “As she wished, her freedom now includes that she will no longer need to attend or be involved in court or become entangled in legal proceedings in this matter.”
Rosengart, who changed the trajectory of the Grammy winner's situation after she was hired as her personal attorney in July 2021, said it has been an “honor and privilege to represent, protect and defend Britney Spears in that matter.”
Jamie Spears' lawyer, Alex Weingarten, also confirmed that an agreement had been reached to resolve all outstanding disputes, but would not comment on the details because the agreement is confidential.
“At the insistence of Ms. Spears’ attorney, the settlement is confidential and I cannot discuss it,” Weingarten said Monday in an email to the Times. “Jamie has nothing to hide and he would be happy to reveal everything about every aspect of the conservatorship so the public knows the real truth. “Jamie loves her daughter very much and he has always done everything he can to protect her.”
Last week, Weingarten told People that Jamie Spears is also “thrilled that this is all behind us,” adding that it's “unfortunate that some irresponsible people in Britney's life decided to drag this out for so long.”
Jamie Spears, who had sought court approval for more than $2 million in payments to various law firms before officially relinquishing control of her daughter's finances, also asked that fees be paid to her own attorneys. However, Rosengart objected to the fees, arguing that Britney Spears should not have to pay her father's legal bills because he had paid himself millions as her conservator, had inadequately monitored her, and had engaged in financial misconduct over the years. his term, the New York Times reported.
Jamie Spears has denied any wrongdoing.
The “…Baby One More Time” and “Toxic” singer appeared to address the latest legal development on Instagram in a since-deleted post that criticized her parents.
“My family hurt me!!! There has been no justice and there probably never will be!!!” she wrote, according to a screenshot of Sunday's post published by TMZ.
“The way I was raised I was always taught the formation of good and evil, but the two people who raised me with that method hurt me! “I am so lucky to be here!!!” she added.
Spears, who has long maintained that she is afraid of her father, said she has not told her parents what she thinks face to face. The mother of two also said she misses her home in Louisiana and wishes she could visit, but “they took everything.”
Meanwhile, citing sources with “direct knowledge,” TMZ reported Monday that Spears is in “serious danger” on both the mental and financial fronts, and that she is doing much worse than when she was under the conservatorship's control.
Rosengart and Weingarten declined to comment on the allegations.
After the conservatorship ended, the “Mickey Mouse Club” alum regained control of her life and narrative and enjoyed her newfound freedom, including taking steps that have apparently led to new sources of income.
In 2022, the former Las Vegas star landed a $15 million book deal that resulted in the publication of her powerful memoir “The Woman in Me” last fall. The tell-all story, which chronicles her early career, her romances with Justin Timberlake and Kevin Federline, and his tutelage, was published to much fanfare and impressive sales. It sold more than 1.1 million copies in the United States in its first week. In January, Gallery Books, a division of Simon & Schuster, announced that the book had sold more than 2 million copies in the United States alone in multiple formats. The audiobook, recited by Oscar winner Michelle Williams, became the best-selling book in the company's history.
Hollywood producers including Brad Pitt, Margot Robbie and Reese Witherspoon have also reportedly been looking to adapt the book for the big screen.
Although Spears has largely retired from her live acting career, she has been flaunting her freedom and lifestyle on Instagram, posting photos of the various destinations she has traveled to on a private jet. Presumably she's also enjoying royalties from her 2022 collaboration with Elton John on “Hold Me Closer,” a reimagining of his '70s classic “Tiny Dancer.”
