Britney Spears has called on US judges to deny a request for her to pay more than $660,000 (£507,000) for fees accrued by her mother during the legal fight over the singer’s conservatorship.
As the family’s “sole breadwinner”, the star has “continuously and generously” supported Lynne Spears financially for years, her lawyers argue – and is not legally required to pay out as her mother did not have an official role in the legal arrangement.
Spears was freed from her controversial conservatorship, which controlled her life and finances, in November 2021, after 13 years and numerous court hearings.
Shortly before it was brought to an end, Lynne Spears applied for payments from her daughter’s estate for costs incurred during the process, to the value of $663,202.84.
Lynne Spears says she worked to help the star “achieve independence from her conservator father James Spears” – also known as Jamie Spears – and out of her “crisis”. Jamie Spears was in charge of the conservatorship for the majority of the time it was in place.
Spears’ lawyer says the star is not liable
“Lynne Spears and her counsel seek payment of legal fees and costs – from Britney Spears – of more than 660,000 US dollars,” say court documents filed by Spears’ lawyer Matthew Rosengart in Los Angeles. “Britney Spears opposes the Petition in its entirety.”
The filing added: “Britney Spears has for decades been her family’s sole breadwinner, supporting her entire family.
“It warrants noting that Lynne Spears has for at least a decade resided in a large, expensive house owned by Britney Spears in Kentwood, Louisiana, for which her daughter has also continuously – and generously – paid Lynne Spears’s utilities, telephone services, insurance, property taxes, landscaping, pool work, pest control, repairs, and maintenance, totalling approximately 1.7 million US dollars (£1.3m).
“The Petition cites no authority at all to support the conclusion that a conservatorship estate (or, in this case, a former conservatee’s estate) can be held financially responsible for the attorney’s fees of a third party like Petitioner here.”
Jamie Spears ‘stepped up’ during conservatorship
The star’s father has also called for his daughter’s estate to continue paying his legal fees, with his lawyers saying he had “stepped up” during the conservatorship and kept “opportunistic and wholly self-interested parties at bay”.
During a public hearing at which Spears got to address the court in 2021, the star condemned her father and described the conservatorship as abusive. Jamie Spears has always strenuously denied any wrongdoing.
The judge is yet to make a decision regarding Lynne Spears’ legal fees and further hearings in the case are scheduled for July.
Spears revealed earlier in April that she is writing a book, with US media reporting that she has reached a $15m (£11.4m) deal with publisher Simon & Schuster for a tell-all memoir.
“I’m writing a book at the moment and as it’s actually healing and therapeutic,” the star wrote on Instagram. “It’s also hard bringing up past events in my life… I’ve never been able to express openly.”