Britney lawyer says her father is an ‘alcoholic’
BRITNEY Spears’s lawyer has slammed the singer’s ‘alcoholic’ father as part of moves to end the legal control he has had over her life for 13 years.
Before what was expected to be an explosive court hearing last night, Mathew Rosengart insisted Jamie Spears, 69, be removed immediately as the star’s ‘conservator’ and that a transition period be agreed so that the legal agreement can be terminated before the end of the year.
Former federal prosecutor Mr Rosengart referred to Mr Spears as ‘a reported alcoholic and gambling addict, with zero financial background or experience in financial matters, who previously filed for bankruptcy and has a domestic violence restraining order currently in effect against him’, according to court papers obtained by the New York Post’s gossip column, Page Six.
His comments came after Mr Spears criticised his daughter’s proposed new conservator, John Zabel, a certified public accountant, claiming he is ‘unqualified’ to manage 39-year-old Ms Spears’ €50million fortune.
Mr Rosengart added: ‘He wants to escape justice and accountability and he will evidently do or say anything to avoid it.’ A hearing scheduled for last night was expected to see Los Angeles Superior Court judge Brenda Penny pressed to decide whether Mr Spears should remain in control of his daughter. The conservatorship was set up in 2008 after Ms Spears started behaving erratically following her divorce from Kevin Federline. She lost custody of their children and was admitted to rehab after shaving her head and hitting a photographer’s car with an umbrella. Ms Spears has been fighting to end her father’s control over her since at least 2019 in a series of behind-closeddoors hearings. The singer, who found fame in 1999 with Baby One More Time, spoke publicly for the first time in court in June, calling the arrangement ‘abusive’ – a statement which further fuelled the #FreeBritney campaign set up by fans fearful she was being controlled by her father. She claimed her day-to-day finances, medication and even birth control had been managed and said that she would not perform again while her father was ‘handling what I wear, say, do, or think’. This month Mr Spears filed a petition to dissolve the conservatorship. Days later, his daughter flashed an engagement ring on Instagram after her boyfriend, personal trainer Sam Asghari, 27, proposed.
Fighting to end her father’s control