Britney Spears' Lawyer Accuses Her Dad of Trying to 'Avoid Accountability' in Court Move

Britney Spears' lawyer has hit out again at the singer's father, Jamie Spears, after he asked a court to end his daughter's conservatorship.

Jamie Spears stated in a petition filed on Tuesday that "recent events" had called into question whether the 39-year-old pop star should continue to be under the conservatorship that oversees her personal and professional life.

The filing read: "Ms. Spears has told this court that she wants control of her life back without the safety rails of a conservatorship.

"She wants to be able to make decisions regarding her own medical care, deciding when, where and how often to get therapy. She wants to control the money she has made from her career and spend it without supervision or oversight.

"She wants to be able to get married and have a baby, if she so chooses. In short, she wants to live her life as she chooses without the constraints of a conservator or court proceeding."

Lawyers for Jamie Spears continued in the filing: "As Mr. Spears has said again and again, all he wants is what is best for his daughter. If Ms. Spears wants to terminate the conservatorship and believes that she can handle her own life, Mr. Spears believes that she should get that chance."

Britney Spears' lawyer, Mathew Rosengart, celebrated the move as a moment of vindication for his client, but also shot back at Jamie Spears.

Rosengart told Newsweek in a statement: "This filing represents another legal victory for Britney Spears—a massive one—as well as vindication for Ms. Spears.

"Having exposed his misconduct and improper plan to hold his daughter hostage by trying to extract a multimillion-dollar settlement, Mr. Spears has now effectively surrendered. There is no settlement."

Rosengart has previously accused Jamie Spears of trying to extort $2 million from Britney Spears in exchange for stepping down as her business conservator.

"To the extent Mr. Spears believes he can try to avoid accountability and justice, including sitting for a sworn deposition and answering other discovery under oath, he is incorrect," Rosengart's statement added. "Our investigation into financial mismanagement and other issues will continue."

Rosengart has also vowed to assess Jamie Spears' filing, stating that it was "inappropriately sent to the media before it was served on counsel."

Newsweek has contacted a representative for Jamie Spears for comment.

Jamie Spears had announced in August that he would step down from the conservatorship "when the time is right."

At the time, Rosengart called on him to resign immediately, stating: "We look forward to continuing our vigorous investigation into the conduct of Mr. Spears, and others, over the past 13 years, while he reaped millions of dollars from his daughter's estate, and I look forward to taking Mr. Spears' sworn deposition in the near future."

Spears hired Rosengart in July—the first time the mother of two had been able to select her own attorney since the conservatorship began in 2008.

Jamie Spears' attorney stated in Tuesday's filing: "[T]his court has recognized that Ms. Spears has both the capacity and capability to identify, engage, and instruct counsel of her own choice, on her own, without the assistance of the conservator or the court … she presumably has capacity and capability to handle other contractual and business matters."

In June, Britney Spears delivered a damning court testimony about her life under the conservatorship. She alleged that she was made to perform in shows, take psychiatric medication and wear a contraceptive device against her will.

Jodi Montgomery oversees Britney Spears' personal decisions under the conservatorship, which will remain in place until Judge Brenda Penny rules otherwise. The next Los Angeles Superior Court hearing on the case is scheduled for September 29.

The graph below, from Statista, shows the relative search interest on Google for "Free Britney" over the past year.