Jamie Spears’ lawyer says his conservatorship suspension is ‘a loss for Britney’
Britney Spears’ father has criticised his suspension as controller of the star’s $60m estate – with his lawyer saying the result is “a loss” for his daughter and that the court “was wrong” to replace him rather than terminating the controversial conservatorship.
At a milestone court hearing in Los Angeles on Wednesday, Judge Brenda Penny ruled that Jamie Spears should be removed as conservator and replaced by accountant John Zabel on a temporary basis, before setting a date to consider ending the legal agreement entirely in November.
It came after Mr Spears, who had controlled the estate for 13 years, filed a legal petition earlier in September to end the conservatorship, amid mounting pressure following claims of abuse made by his daughter at court hearings in June and July.
Spears demanded the end of the ‘abusive’ arrangement at a previous hearing in June. Pic: Chris Pizzello/Invision/AP
However, Spears‘ recently appointed lawyer Mathew Rosengart argued for her father to be removed first before the agreement is wound up for good.
On Thursday, Mr Spears’ lawyer Vivian Thoreen, from the Holland & Knight law firm, released a statement on the judge’s decision, saying her client “loves his daughter unconditionally” and has “tried to do what is in her best interests, whether as a conservator or her father”, since the legal arrangement began in 2008.
Spears “voluntarily entered into the conservatorship”, she said, and the agreement helped the star “revive her career and re-establish a relationship with her children”.
Ms Thoreen accused members of the public, the media, and Mr Rosengart of “false, speculative, and unsubstantiated attacks” on Mr Spears and said the outcome of the latest court hearing was “disappointing, and frankly, a loss for Britney”.
She added: “Respectfully, the court was wrong to suspend Mr Spears, put a stranger in his place to manage Britney’s estate, and extend the very conservatorship that Britney begged the court to terminate earlier this summer.
“Again, it was Mr Spears who took the initiative to file the petition to terminate the conservatorship when neither Britney’s former court-appointed counsel nor her new privately-retained attorney would do so. It was Mr Spears who asked the court at yesterday’s hearing to immediately terminate the conservatorship while Britney’s own attorney argued against it.”
The star’s attorney Mathew Rosengart says Mr Spears needed to be removed from the legal agreement before it could be wound up completely
Despite his suspension, Mr Spears “will continue to look out for the best interests of his daughter and work in good faith towards a positive resolution of all matters”, Ms Thoreen concluded.
In court on Wednesday, Mr Rosengart had argued forcefully for Mr Spears’ removal, demanding an end to the star’s “Kafka-esque nightmare”.
He told the hearing that the estate was being run into the ground and reiterated a vow made by the singer not to perform again while her father is in control.
#FreeBritney supporters were once again outside court for the latest hearing
“Sometimes judges are asked to make very hard decisions,” he said. “This is not such a decision. This is not such a case. This is a very easy decision.”
He also alleged that Mr Spears now wants the conservatorship terminated to avoid having his files closely examined. “What he is afraid of is the revelation of his corruption,” Mr Rosengart said.
While it is essential the conservatorship is terminated, it needs to be done in an “orderly fashion”, the lawyer told the court.
Spears’ conservatorship began in 2008 after she suffered a reported mental breakdown. The arrangement came back under the spotlight in November 2020, when Spears said she would not perform live again while her father was in control.
It made headlines again following the release of the New York Times documentary Framing Britney Spears, which explored her treatment at the hands of the paparazzi and the terms of the legal agreement.
In June, Spears delivered bombshell testimony in open court for the first time, demanding the end of the “abusive” arrangement. During a shocking 23-minute speech, she claimed she was being forced to use a contraceptive device to prevent her having more children and that she was unable to get married.
The following month Spears returned to court and called for her father to be prosecuted for conservator abuse.
British drama Adolescence has seen its lead stars all nominated for Golden Globe awards.
The drama, starring Stephen Graham, depicts the aftermath of the stabbing of a teenage girl, as a 13-year-old boy from her school is arrested for her murder. It was one of the most talked-about shows of the year.
Young Owen Cooper is up for best supporting actor. Pic:Netflix
Graham, along with Owen Cooper, Ashley Walters and Erin Doherty are all up for gongs. It follows a host of wins at the Emmys in September.
Receiving five nominations in total, the Netflix limited series was only beaten by HBO’s White Lotus, which got six nods, coming top in the TV category.
Cynthia Erivo was nominated for her role in the Wicked sequel, Wicked For Good, while British stars Gary Oldman, Helen Mirren and Aimee Lou Wood also got recognition for their roles in Slow Horses, Mobland and The White Lotus, respectively.
Mirren will also be awarded one of the Globe’s two lifetime achievement awards, the Cecil B DeMille Award, announced a few days before the ceremony in the New Year.
Emily Blunt picked up a surprise nomination for her role in The Smashing Machine, opposite Dwayne ‘The Rock’ Johnson – who also got a nod for the sports biopic.
Tessa Thompson was recognised for her role in Hedda, a modern re-telling of Henrik Ibsen’s classic play.
Irish stars Paul Mescal and Jessie Buckley were both nominated for Hamnet, the adaptation of Maggie O’Farrell’s book about William Shakespeare and his wife Agnes. The movie isn’t out in the UK until January.
Ariana Grande and Cynthia Erivo at the London premiere for Wicked: For Good
Ryan Coogler (L) and Michael B Jordan at the Sinners premiere. Pic: AP
Films, TV – and podcasts
Unlike other awards, the Globes cover both TV and film and are split by genre, falling into either the drama or comedy and musical category – meaning a wealth of nominees are in the running.
This year, there are 28 categories.
In the film category, One Battle After Another, starring Leonardo DiCaprio, led the nominations with nine, followed by Norwegian comedy-drama Sentimental Value with eight, and vampire horror Sinners with seven.
Leonardo DiCaprio in a scene from One Battle After Another.
Pic: Warner Bros/AP
KPop Demon Hunters continued its world domination with three nominations – best animated film, cinematic and box office achievement and original song – making an Oscar nod further down the line look more and more likely.
New to this year’s nominations is a category for podcasts. Selected from a long list of the 25 most-listened to shows, Good Hang With Amy Poehler, Armchair Expert With Dax Shepard and Call Her Daddy were among the casts that made the cut.
Sarah Jessica Parker will be honoured with the Carol Burnett Award.
Now in comeback mode, the Globes had previously faced criticism over a lack of diversity in the organisation, which led to the event being held behind closed doors in 2022.
The 83rd Golden Globes ceremony will take place in LA on 11 January, and will be hosted by US comedian Nikki Glaser for the second year running.
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