Britney Spears’s mother, Lynne Spears, offered a statement on her ex-husband’s decision to step down as their daughter’s conservator, saying she’s “pleased” with the choice. Her lawyer told Us Weekly in a statement, “Lynne entered into this conservatorship to protect her daughter almost three years ago. She has accomplished what she set out to do. She will have no further comment.”
On Thursday, Jamie Spears filed a document to be removed from the role, pending a judge’s approval and a “transition” period, though per his lawyer’s words, it doesn’t sound like he’ll go quietly. They wrote that “it is highly debatable whether a change in conservator at this time would be in Ms. Spears’ best interests,” but that the “public battle” is also not “in her best interests.”
They added, “Mr. Spears continues to serve dutifully, and he should not be suspended or removed, and certainly not based on false allegations. Mr. Spears is willing to step down when the time is right, but the transition needs to be orderly and include a resolution of matters pending before the Court.”
His daughter had blistering words for him, as told to a judge during a July hearing on the state of the conservatorship, now in its 13th year. In her testimony, she made an impassioned plea for her father’s removal. She complained of being medicated and being overworked against her will, saying, “My dad and anyone involved in this conservatorship and my management who played a key role in punishing me—they should be in jail.”
Lynne has appeared to be supportive of her daughter’s wish to remove Jamie from such a controlling position, and argued in July via more court documents that the father and daughter relationship “has dwindled to nothing but fear and hatred.”
She entered the conservatorship three years ago “because I wanted to ensure that everything in my daughter’s life was handled in the best interests of my daughter, the conservatee, which I did not believe at the time (and I still do not today) to be the case.”
Jamie’s letter to the court included some shots at Lynne too, claiming that she had little involvement Britney’s life and that she was not aware of the extent of her daughter’s medical troubles. “Unfortunately, it appears that Lynne has not accepted the full extent to which Ms. Spears has had addiction and mental health issues or the level of care and treatment she needs,” it read.
There are claims on either side of the parents taking advantage of Britney’s financial situation. Jaime reportedly paid himself $16,000 a month since 2008, and his lawyers wrote that Britney has paid $150,000 a year for Lynne’s Louisiana mansion.
Meanwhile, Britney has apparently been given more freedoms. She’s been allowed to drive alone this summer, and got an iPad for the first time, calling its arrival “a groundbreaking day” and adding, “I feel like my life is changing as we speak and I am so excited.”
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