Britney Spears objects to paying $660,000 for mother’s legal fees
Britney Spears poses at the 29th Annual GLAAD Media Awards in Beverly Hills, California, USA, on April 12, 2018. Image: Reuters/Mario Anzuoni
Britney Spears’ lawyer has pushed back on a request from her mother, Lynne Spears, that the pop star pay for the $660,000 (about P33.93 million) in legal fees she had incurred during the legal battle over her daughter’s conservatorship.
Nearly five months since his client’s 13-year conservatorship ended, Britney’s lawyer Mathew Rosengart appeared in court on Tuesday, April 5, to object to Lynne’s request, as per court documents obtained by Page Six yesterday, April 6.
“Britney Spears has for decades been her family’s sole breadwinner, supporting her entire family,” Rosengart stated, adding that there was “no legal authority supporting the petition.”
Rosengart then noted that Britney’s father and former conservator, James Spears, had a “long history of financial mismanagement.” Meanwhile, he pointed out that Lynne has been living in Britney’s “large, expansive house” for at least a decade and that her expenses had been continuously paid off by the singer, as per Billboard also yesterday.
“The fees and costs at issue cannot be foisted onto Britney Spears, who already has paid many millions for court-appointed counsel, counsel for the conservator of the estate, counsel for the conservator of the person, and others, all while very generously providing a beautiful home for her mother and paying for all associated expenses,” Rosengart said.
When Lynne filed the petition in November last year, she claimed that after she found problems with her daughter’s conservatorship in 2019, she and her attorneys had been a driving force to end the arrangement. She requested for her daughter to cover lawyer’s fees she had paid to two law firms.
A week after the court documents were filed by Lynne, Britney regained control of her life as her conservatorship was ended. The end of the conservatorship was celebrated by her fellow stars including Lady Gaga, Paris Hilton and Cher.
Britney has since been granted the power to execute documents “as an independent woman.” She was also invited by the US Congress last February to testify about conservatorships. Dana Cruz /ra
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