Entertainment

Britney Spears lawyer demands her father hand over material on alleged bugging

The singer’s conservatorship could be about to be terminated.
The singer’s conservatorship could be about to be terminated. The singer’s conservatorship could be about to be terminated.

Britney Spears’s lawyer has demanded her father hand over all documents and communications related to the alleged surveillance of the singer, court records show.

Mathew Rosengart, the high-powered Hollywood lawyer who has been representing the pop superstar since July, accused Jamie Spears, 69, of wanting his daughter’s conservatorship terminated for selfish reasons.

He alleges Jamie is attempting to avoid being questioned under oath about his role in the complex legal arrangement that has controlled the star’s life and career since 2008.

Jamie was suspended from his role overseeing her 60 million dollar estate (£44 million) in September after calling for the conservatorship to be brought to an end.

In new legal filings in Los Angeles, Mr Rosengart has accused the elder Spears of trying to avoid answering questions about the alleged surveillance of the singer inside her home.

He is demanding “all documents and communications relating to any recording or listening device in the home or bedroom of Britney Jean Spears, including all documents and communications relating to the decision to place any such recording or listening device and the records of any such recording”.

The documentary Controlling Britney Spears alleges Spears’s conversations with her two sons and boyfriend were taped.

Britney Spears recalls pep talk
Britney Spears recalls pep talk Britney Spears could soon regain control of her life and career (PA)

In a statement issued at the time, Vivian Thoreen, Jamie’s former lawyer, said: “All of his actions were well within the parameters of the authority conferred upon him by the court. His actions were done with the knowledge and consent of Britney, her court-appointed attorney, and/or the court.”

Elsewhere in the latest legal filing, which was made available on Tuesday ahead of a Los Angeles court hearing on November 12, Mr Rosengart included a note to depose Jamie on October 20.

Jamie replaced Ms Thoreen with Alex Weingarten last month. It is not clear if he was deposed.

Mr Rosengart is also requesting detailed information about the running of his client’s estate.

He is seeking information about the role of Tri Star Sports & Entertainment Group, which previously managed Spears’s estate.

Jamie’s legal team has long said it was his smart management of his daughter’s money that saved her from financial ruin.

Spears, 39, has not performed live since 2018. She announced her engagement to actor and model Sam Asghari, 27, in September.

Spears was placed under the conservatorship, a legal arrangement usually reserved for the very old or infirm, after suffering a series of mental breakdowns.

Judge Brenda Penny could terminate the conservatorship at the November 12 hearing.