After being granted the right to hire her own lawyer earlier this month, Britney Spears is ramping up her efforts to end her conservatorship: On Monday, the singer’s new lawyer filed to have Spears’ father removed from the 13-year conservatorship, the New York Times reports.
The petition was filed in Los Angeles probate court by Mathew S. Rosengart, a well-known Hollywood lawyer who recently took over to represent Britney in the ongoing #FreeBritney case.
According to the Times, the filing also requests that Jason Rubin, a certified public accountant in California, be named the new conservator of Britney’s estate.
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Declarations from Britney’s mother, Lynne, and the conservator of her person, Jodi Montgomery, are attached in support of Britney’s petition, according to The Hollywood Reporter.
As basis for Jamie’s removal, Rosengart cites the alleged mismanagement of Britney’s financials (which is currently listed at $2.7 million in cash and $57 million in non-cash assets). Rosengart quotes a Forbes article which contends that given what Britney has earned over the course of her career, her net worth is “shockingly low.” All the while, Jamie has collected $16,000 a month plus $2,000 a month for office expenses over the last 13 years, in addition to a percentage of all tour revenue, according to Rosengart (via TMZ).
Rosengart describes Britney’s situation as “traumatizing, insane and depressing,” and says her relationship with Jamie is “venomous” and “impairs Ms. Spears’s mental health, her well-being, and her ability to pursue and continue with her extraordinary career.”
Today’s legal filing is just the latest bombshell development to occur since Britney first broke her silence and publicly testified against the conservatorship in June. During an emotionally wrenching hearing, Britney spoke about being barred from marriage and forced to continue using an IUD despite her desire to have more children. She also said she’d been put on lithium against her wishes, and emphasized that, “I truly believe this conservatorship is abusive.”
In response, her longtime court-appointed lawyer, manager, and co-conservator all tendered their resignations. Last week, the US House of Representatives introduced a new bill called the Freedom and Right to Emancipate from Exploitation Act, which aims to make it easier for individuals under a conservatorship to seek a new guardian.
