Britney Spears’ new attorney said Monday that his legal firm is acting “aggressively and expeditiously” to remove the pop star’s father from his role in her hotly debated conservatorship.
Mathew Rosengart, the first attorney Spears has been able to choose herself since the conservatorship began in 2008, spoke about his plans outside the Los Angeles Superior Court.
“My firm and I are moving aggressively and expeditiously to file a petition to remove Jamie Spears unless he resigns first,” Rosengart told reporters of the singer’s father, who has maintained control of his daughter’s nearly $60 million fortune as one of her conservators for the past 13 years.
“I want to thank Britney Spears for her courage and for her strength,” Rosengart added, referencing the singer speaking out against the conservatorship for the first time in court and over social media in recent weeks.
The system in place is “abusive,” Spears said in court last month, accusing her conservators of forcing her to use birth control, take mood-stabilizing drugs and perform against her will.
“I would honestly like to sue my family, to be totally honest with you,” Spears said in court, where she’s fighting to end her conservatorship and regain control of her life, career and relationships.
Last week, a judge granted Spears one power: the ability to choose her own attorney in the conservatorship case. She went on to hire Rosengart, a prominent former federal prosecutor, who argued in court last week that the conservatorship was never appropriate in the first place.
“If he loves his daughter, it’s time to step aside so Ms. Spears can move forward to a healthy, productive life,” the attorney said.
On Monday, Rosengart thanked Spears’ fans for the outpouring of support.
“The outreach and support for my firm, myself and most importantly, Britney, has truly been overwhelming, from coast to coast and literally throughout the world,” he said.
Earlier Monday, the court reached no decision on whether Spears’ conservatorship, which she is forced to pay for with her own money, should cover the cost of security for Jodi Montgomery, one of her conservators. Another hearing was scheduled for next week.