Britney Spears’ father wants $2 million U.S. before he walks away as conservator of her finances and estate.
This is the claim of the pop star’s lawyer Mathew Rosengart, who has accused Jamie Spears of extortion in a court filing this week.
“Mr. Spears’s blatant attempt to barter suspension and removal in exchange for approximately $2 million in payments, on top of the millions already reaped from Ms. Spears’s estate by Mr. Spears and his associates, is a non-starter,” Rosengart wrote.
The lawyer claims Jamie has asked for $1.3 million in legal fees as well as more than $500,000 in payments to himself and his daughter’s former management company.
On Aug. 12, a lawyer for Jamie Spears told the court he will step down even though it is “highly debatable” a change in conservatorship will be good for his daughter. “Nevertheless, even as Mr. Spears is the unremitting target of unjustified attacks, he does not believe that a public battle with his daughter over his continuing service as her conservator would be in her best interests.”
Rosengart has asked Judge Brenda Penny to order Jamie’s removal as conservator at the next scheduled hearing on Sept. 29.
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Jamie was appointed co-conservator of his famous daughter on Feb. 1, 2008 after she suffered a mental health breakdown. The conservatorship was made permanent on Oct. 7, 2008. In July, Britney filed to have him ousted and replaced by certified public accountant Jason Rubin.
Britney had vowed not to perform again as long as her father was in control of her finances.
In March, Jamie's lawyer Vivian Lee Thoreen told CNN that her client may not have been the best father to Britney but “believes every single decision he has made has been in her best interest.
"Britney knows that she can contact her daddy anytime and that he will be there for her. Whether or not there's a conservatorship, Jamie will love Britney."