Get all your news in one place.
100’s of premium titles.
One app.
Start reading
The Guardian - US
The Guardian - US
Entertainment
Guardian staff and agencies

Britney Spears asks for accountant to replace father as conservator

Fans and supporters of Britney Spears outside the LA county courthouse last week. The singer has implied she ultimately wants the conservatorship terminated but that her top priority for now is ousting her father from his role.
Fans and supporters of Britney Spears outside the LA county courthouse last week. The singer has implied she ultimately wants the conservatorship terminated but that her top priority for now is ousting her father from his role. Photograph: Valérie Macon/AFP/Getty Images

An attorney for Britney Spears has asked that a new conservator be named to oversee the pop singer’s finances following recent testimony that she wanted her father ousted from the role, the New York Times reported on Monday.

In a Los Angeles court filing, lawyer Matthew Rosengart requested that accountant Jason Rubin be named the conservator of Spears’ estate, a post currently held by her father, Jamie Spears, the Times reported.

The newspaper said that Rosengart also filed a petition to remove Jamie Spears as a conservator but that document was not made public.

The pop star recently told the court she wanted her father immediately removed and charged with conservatorship abuse.

Rosengart recently began to represent Spears in the fight to overturn the controversial arrangement that has controlled her life for 13 years. It was the first time the singer has been allowed to select her own attorney.

Public support for the singer has swelled since she delivered an emotional testimony calling the conservatorship abusive and humiliating. She said the arrangement had forced her to perform and take medications against her will, and controlled her reproductive rights.

The singer has implied she ultimately wants the conservatorship terminated but that her top priority for now is ousting her father from his role.

Britney Spears has also said she will not perform again while her father retains control of her career. “I’m not gonna be performing on any stages anytime soon with my dad handling what I wear, say, do, or think,” the singer wrote on Instagram.

Speaking in court earlier this month, Rosengart called on Jamie Spears to step down immediately. “There’s a real question as to why Mr Spears does not voluntarily step aside today. Today. Does anybody really believe that Mr Spears’s involvement in the case is in the best interest of Ms Spears?”

The 39 year old was placed under a conservatorship that controls both her personal and financial affairs in 2008 after she suffered a mental health breakdown.

Representatives for Rosengart and Jamie Spears did not immediately respond to requests for comment.

Reuters contributed reporting

Sign up to read this article
Read news from 100’s of titles, curated specifically for you.
Already a member? Sign in here
Related Stories
Top stories on inkl right now
One subscription that gives you access to news from hundreds of sites
Already a member? Sign in here
Our Picks
Fourteen days free
Download the app
One app. One membership.
100+ trusted global sources.