It's no secret to the world that Britney Spears' life and finances are largely controlled by her father, Jamie Spears, as part of a conservatorship that was implemented in 2008. At the time, Britney was deemed unable to make financial decisions on her own accord, due to the mental health struggles she was facing. Britney has been trying to free herself from this stifling control for many years now, to no avail.
Her mother, Lynn has just stepped up in her defense, trying to reverse astronomical 'legal bills' which he she believes he should have no right to collect on. MSN confirms that Jamie is seeking $890,000 in legal fees, and expects to collect the funds from Britney's conservatorship, but Lynn is vehemently standing in the way of this payout.
Lynn filed court documents in an effort to stop her ex-husband from collecting these funds from Britney's conservatorship. He claims that the $890,000 represents four months worth of attorney bills.
According to MSN, "Lynne requested that the court review the attorney costs, in particular the, at least, $224,000 fees, which were 'related to the law firm's communication with the press." They go on to say that she stated "her daughter should be immediately repaid for the firm's 'unnecessary' work, which 'largely constituted a national media tour" that she says was orchestrated by Holland & Knight, the firm representing Jamie Spears. Lynn claims these fees largely went towards "combating media coverage that cast Mr. Spears in a negative light."
Not only does Lynn feel that these fees are unfair, she also claims they are unjust, and she wants the courts to intervene. Jamie has been accused of grossly mismanaging Britney's conservatorship in the past, and this recent incident shines a light on the potential of this issue once again.
Fox News indicates; "Lynne also argues that the fees are substantively improper because they were unrelated to the Purpose outlined by Mr. Spears for retaining Holland and Knight." Blatantly, they have nothing to do with Britney's financial actions, and Jamie should be responsible for his own fees, especially when they are so exorbitant in nature.
There has long been a movement referenced as the #FreeBritney Campaign, which seeks to release Britney from the control of the conservatorship altogether, and inflammatory situations such as this one further highlight the potential issues surrounding one person having complete and utter control of such a large sum of money, and the various details surrounding another person's life.
Lynne states these fees declared by Jamie are "utterly excessive" and is holding him accountable for presenting the proper documentation to the courts, if he wants to extract this significant sum of money from his daughter's estate.
This could be the shift in the conservatorship that Britney's fans, and Britney herself, have long awaited.
Sources: MSN, US Magazine, Fox News