Britney Spears‘s attorney claims the singer’s father has continued to “harass, intimidate and bully” since his removal as conservator last year.
Mathew S. Rosengart, who successfully terminated the conservatorship in November and is investigating the singer’s allegation of conservatorship abuse, filed legal papers Monday to quash a subpoena sought by Jamie’s team seeking confidential private investigator files and other documents. Britney’s attorney also accused Jamie of failing to appear at three scheduled depositions, and called on him to “submit the final accounting” for the conservatorship, “leave his daughter alone and move on.”
Rosengart’s motion obtained by Yahoo Entertainment seeks to stop a subpoena Jamie issued to Kroll, the private investigator firm helping Britney investigate Jamie. He argues that Jamie, who no longer is conservator and had no relationship with his daughter, shouldn’t have access to those records which contain “private, investigative and confidential information” and the documents should be protected by the attorney-client privilege. He accused Jamie of trying to peer behind the curtain of Britney’s legal and investigation teams in an attempt to find out their “legal strategy, mental impressions and evaluation of the facts and law.”
According to the doc, Jamie wants Kroll — which is investigating Jamie’s alleged mismanagement of Britney’s estate and any potential criminal wrongdoing — to turn over any reports they’re preparing and as well as any communication their analysts have had with Britney and her lawyer, among other things.
Jamie also wants access to what Kroll collected during interviews with former Black Box Security employee Alex Vlasov, who claimed the company, hired by Jamie, monitored Britney’s phone and bugged her bedroom, as well as conversations with Britney’s tour staffer Marc Delcore. Additionally, he wants docs obtained by John Zabel, who was briefly Britney’s temporary co-conservator last year and records obtained by Kroll from Tri Star Sports & Entertainment, Britney’s former business manager.
Jamie is accused of “stonewalling” Britney’s team’s efforts. Rosengart cites Jamie’s lack of cooperation in turning over conservatorship documents and answering questions about how Britney’s money was spent. He said Jamie “continues to hide and obstruct,” including failing “no less than three times to appear for his deposition.”
“After reigning over the 13-year conservatorship, from which Mr. Spears enriched himself by reaping at least $6.3 million from his daughter’s Estate while paying others close to him tens of millions more, Mr. Spears’s reign ended,” Rosengart wrote. “Mr. Spears has nevertheless continued to importune, seeking to harass, intimidate and bully his daughter…”
He called for Jamie to “cease and desist from bullying and harassing” and “simply move on.”
“He should cooperate and tell the truth rather than obfuscating and stonewalling,” Rosengart wrote. “He should waive the Fifth Amendment. He should properly and professionally transfer all files (including all communications with his counsel during the conservatorship); he should answer all questions regarding his administration of the conservatorship, including regarding his activities in concert with Tri Star Sports & Entertainment (“Tri Star”) and Black Box Security, Inc.; and he should appear promptly for his deposition rather than hiding. He should then finish his final ministerial duties, submit the final accounting, leave his daughter alone, and move on. This is what a father who truly ‘loved’ his daughter would do.”
Rosengart also questioned in the doc why Jamie didn’t place Britney “in a short-term ‘LPS’ conservatorship” when this all began in 2008, as it has stronger protections for conservatees. Instead, Jamie “placed his daughter into a long-term probate conservatorship generally intended for those with ‘dementia'” and situations that typically don’t improve.
The next conservatorship hearing is July 27 — one year after Britney was first allowed to hire the attorney of her choice and she picked former federal prosecutor Rosengart. He went on to oust Jamie in September, as the cries to #FreeBritney grew louder, and end the conservatorship in November, restoring the star’s liberties. While the legal arrangement is over, proceedings continue to tie up loose ends, including Jamie’s request that his daughter covers his millions in legal fees, as well as investigate any criminal wrongdoing.
Britney — who recently announced she’s pregnant with her third child after being forced to use birth control under the conservatorship — also recently objected to paying her mother Lynne Spears’s $663,000 legal fees. The star is estranged from her entire family, saying in November her family “should all be in jail” for how they treated her during the 13-year conservatorship, including her claim that she was forced into an in-patient psychiatric care program for months against her will.
Jamie’s lawyers did not respond to Yahoo Entertainment’s request for comment.
