Britney Spears Gains Control of Her Money, Will Not Be Paying Father's Legal Fees—Judge

Britney Spears is set to gain full control of her finances and isn't required to pay her father's legal fees, a judge has ruled.

The pop star will finally have full control over her financial assets after a 13-year long conservatorship, following a heated hearing in a Los Angeles courtroom on Wednesday.

Judge Brenda Penny refused to allow funds from the 30-year-old's conservatorship to be allocated for her father and former conservator, Jamie Spears, to pay his legal fees.

Justin Gold, an attorney for the temporary conservator of Britney Spears' estate, John Zabel, sparred with the attorney representing Jamie Spears at the hearing.

According to The Hollywood Reporter, Alex Weingarten, representing Jamie Spears, told the courtroom that the "Toxic" singer was "irresponsible with her money" and said: "Let's remember why this conservatorship existed."

This was met with condemnation from Britney Spears' lawyer, Mathew Rosengart, who declared that "the conservatorship is over."

There has been an ongoing battle over whether the pop star should pay her father's legal fees because of his prior role as conservator.

Last month, Jamie Spears petitioned to seek the court's approval for his daughter's estate to pay the lawyers who are "participating in proceedings concerning Jamie's ongoing fiduciary duties relating to winding up."

During her conservatorship, Britney Spears' estate covered all of her father's legal costs as well as her own legal bills amassed as part of her attempts to end the court-appointed arrangement.

Jamie Spears was suspended from the conservatorship in September before it was officially dissolved in November and he has been accused of conservatorship abuse by his daughter.

In court on Wednesday, Rosengart argued that if, eventually, there is a request for his client to make more payments on attorneys' fees, the court can make that order further down the line.

Judge Penny refused to set aside funds and said that there are statutory protections in place to make sure legal teams get paid in the event an order is issued granting their fee requests.

Weingarten stated that other attorneys involved in the conservatorship have been paid 80 percent of their billable fees and 100 percent of related costs.

He said that his firm should be treated the same.

However, Rosengart argued that Jamie Spears' new lawyers aren't "necessary" to wind up the conservatorship, which has already ended and the allegations of wrongdoing against him are still relevant.

"[I]n addition to his conflicts of interest, mismanagement, and other misconduct, Mr. Spears's actions implicate federal and state criminal law," he said.

"Mr. Spears's lawyers already have been paid literally millions of dollars at his daughter's expense," Rosengart wrote in his opposition.

"Before they are paid a penny more, this Court should exercise its right and authority to pass upon the propriety of any further fees. Otherwise, Ms. Spears ultimately will be forced to spend even more time and money trying to claw back even more funds than she already will have to claw back."

It remains unclear whether Britney Spears will need to cover her father's legal fees eventually.

A second hearing has been scheduled for Wednesday, March 16.