Britney Spears’ lawyer Mathew Rosengart has joined the legal team battling to free legendary artist Peter Max from his guardianship.
High-powered lawyer Rosengart — who famously fought for the suspension of Britney’s father James Spears as the conservator of her estate and then ended the toxic conservatorship she endured for 13 years — has joined Peter’s daughter Libra Max’s legal team fighting to end the guardianship, which she says “has put my father in prison.”
Libra says her 84-year-old father has been isolated in his Upper West Side apartment where friends and family are only allowed to visit for an hour after getting permission from his guardians. She claims Peter’s phone and beloved pets have been taken away
She also alleges those guardians — plus court-appointed legal counsel — continue to bill Peter’s estate hundreds of thousands of dollars annually. Libra contends the guardianship “has isolated him, medicated him, and stripped him of civil liberties”.
Rosengart said, “I am honored to join the team’s laudable efforts to seek justice for Peter Max. This typifies the type of guardianship that merits judicial attention and potential state and federal legislation.”
“Guardianships and governmental intervention should be an absolute last resort and this case warrants a fresh look and implementation of less restrictive measures and the restoration of basic human rights. We will fight vigorously to obtain newfound freedoms for this American icon.”
Max, a pop artist of the 1960s and 1970s, whose works hang in the Museum of Modern Art, has an estimated fortune of at least $65 million.
A close friend of the Rolling Stones, the German immigrant became famed for plastering his psychedelic designs on postage stamps, cereal boxes, album covers, even a Continental Airlines Boeing 777.
Nancy Reagan asked him to paint portraits of the Statue of Liberty at the White House, after which he helped raise money to restore the monument.
Now suffering from Alzheimer’s disease, he was placed under guardianship in December 2016 after the court ruled that he needed protection from alleged physical, mental, and emotional abuse by his then-second wife, Mary.
Mary Max committed suicide at age 52 in June 2019, but the guardianship for Peter continued. Thousands of prominent New Yorkers have signed a petition aiming to #freePeterMax.
Libra Max added, “My father has a network of family and friends who want to
be with him in the twilight of his life.”
“The abuse he has faced at the hands of the predatory guardianship system is incomprehensible. I am thrilled Matt agreed to join our team in fighting for my father. This guardianship must end.”
A hearing is scheduled for Nov. 30 in New York State Supreme Court,
where Libra will petition to end the guardianship.
Meanwhile, Spears said she has been “grateful” for each day, and having the keys back to her car and her own ATM card.
She said she plans to be “an advocate for people with real disabilities and real illnesses” and hopes her story will “make changes in the corrupt system.”
