Britney Spears, father settle dispute over legal fees
Britney Spears poses at the premiere of “Once Upon a Time In Hollywood” in Los Angeles, California. FILE PHOTO (REUTERS /Mario Anzuoni)
LOS ANGELES – Perhaps putting a final touch on her long-running conservatorship case, Britney Spears reached a settlement this week over attorney’s fees sought by her father and former conservator, Jamie Spears.
No terms of the settlement, which was first reported by the New York Times, were divulged.
In a statement to various media outlets Friday, Spears’ attorney Mathew Rosengart said, “As she desired, her freedom now includes that she will no longer need to attend or be involved with court or entangled with legal proceedings in this matter.”
Spears had been under a conservatorship for nearly 14 years, but it was dissolved in November 2021.
Absent a settlement, the singer and her father could have been forced into a trial that may have rehashed much of the bitter conservatorship, and her allegations that her father was wrongfully enriching himself in his role as conservator.
Jamie Spears has repeatedly denied any wrongdoing, insisting all of his decisions in the role were made in his daughter’s best interests.
Britney’s legal team, led by Rosengart, fought to keep Britney from having to pay her father’s legal bills, claiming that Jamie had allegedly misused his authority as Britney’s conservator.
The conservatorship was set up and overseen by the singer’s father after she had a public breakdown in 2007 and was hospitalized for undisclosed mental health issues.
Interest in the case was propelled by documentaries and the #FreeBritney movement of fans who questioned why the singer needed such restrictions while she was touring around the world and earning millions of dollars.
Britney publicly addressed a court in Los Angeles on June 23 of 2021, telling the judge that she was “traumatized” and held against her will, with all of her rights stripped away by her conservators, including her father, who at one point she said she wanted jailed. “I just want my life back,” the singer said.
The singer had begged the court for months to terminate the conservatorship that had governed her personal life and $60 million estate from 2008 to 2021.
Since the conservatorship ended, Spears has sold over 2 million copies of her best-selling memoir, “The Woman in Me,” and has released music with Elton John and Will.i.am. (With CNS report)
