After being ousted from the conservatorship of his daughter on Wednesday, Britney Spears, on Wednesday, Jamie Spears has issued a statement via his attorney, Vivan Thoreen.
“Mr. Spears loves his daughter Britney unconditionally,” the statement, issued early Thursday morning, reads. “For thirteen years, he has tried to do what is in her best interests, whether as a conservator or her father. This started with agreeing to serve as her conservator when she voluntarily entered into the conservatorship. This included helping her revive her career and re-establish a relationship with her children. For anyone who has tried to help a family member dealing with mental health issues, they can appreciate the tremendous amount of daily worry and work this required. For Mr. Spears, this also meant biting his tongue and not responding to all the false, speculative, and unsubstantiated attacks on him by certain members of the public, media, or more recently, Britney’s own attorney.
“These facts make the outcome of yesterday’s hearing all the more disappointing, and frankly, a loss for Britney,” the statement continues. “Respectfully, the court was wrong to suspend Mr. Spears, put a stranger in his place to manage Britney’s estate, and extend the very conservatorship that Britney begged the court to terminate earlier this summer. Again, it was Mr. Spears who took the initiative to file the petition to terminate the conservatorship when neither Britney’s former court-appointed counsel nor her new privately-retained attorney would do so. It was Mr. Spears who asked the court at yesterday’s hearing to immediately terminate the conservatorship while Britney’s own attorney argued against it.
“Despite the suspension, Mr. Spears will continue to look out for the best interests of his daughter and work in good faith towards a positive resolution of all matters,” the statement, signed by Thoreen, concludes.
Jamie Spears was suspended from Britney’s conservatorship in a Los Angeles court hearing on Wednesday afternoon, following a drawn-out legal battle that has persisted since the pop star was placed under the court-ordered arrangement in 2008.
Judge Brenda Penny ruled that Spears’ father will no longer serve as the conservator of his daughter’s estate, immediately removing him from control of her finances.
“I believe that the suspension is in the best interests of the conservatee,” Penny said. “The current situation is untenable.”
Britney Spears’ attorney, Mathew Rosengart, argued in court that her father is “a cruel, toxic, abusive man,” and said that it was long past time to remove him.
“It’s about what Britney wants. She wants him out of her life today,” Rosengart said. “Britney Spears deserves to wake up tomorrow without her father as her conservator.”
Penny appointed John Zabel, an accountant, to assume temporarily control the estate until next steps are determined. Rosengart is expected to return to court on Nov. 12 with a plan to wind down the arrangement, and allow Spears to reclaim unfettered control of her life. Spears’ conservator of her person, Jodi Montgomery, who manages her day-to-day wellbeing and medical decisions, will continue in that role for the time being.
Vivian Thoreen, the attorney for Spears’ father, opposed the suspension, saying it would be better to simply terminate the conservatorship.
“There is not a shred of evidence for suspension,” Thoreen argued. “Mr. Spears has faithfully and loyally served. His record is impeccable.”
A hearing was set for Nov. 12 to determine whether the conservatorship will be ended entirely.