Britney Spears’ lawyer calls father Jamie’s request to unseal singer’s medical records ‘offensive’
Singer is engaged in legal battle with her father Jamie Spears over payment of attorney fees and surveillance claims against him
Your support helps us to tell the story
This election is still a dead heat, according to most polls. In a fight with such wafer-thin margins, we need reporters on the ground talking to the people Trump and Harris are courting. Your support allows us to keep sending journalists to the story.
The Independent is trusted by 27 million Americans from across the entire political spectrum every month. Unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock you out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. But quality journalism must still be paid for.
Help us keep bring these critical stories to light. Your support makes all the difference.
Britney Spears’ lawyer has criticised the singer’s father Jamie over calls to make the singer’s medical records public.
While Britney’s controversial conservatorship was terminated in November last year, the “Toxic” hitmaker is currently engaged in a legal battle with her father over the ongoing payment of attorney fees, and surveillance claims against Jamie.
On Wednesday (19 January), Variety reported that Jamie’s lawyer Alex Weingarten had requested Los Angeles Superior Court judge Brenda Penny to order that Britney’s medical documents be unsealed.
This followed claims from her legal counsel Mathew Rosengart told the court they have “strong evidence” of financial mismanagement and violative surveillance on Jamie’s part.
When Weingarten reportedly accused Rosengart of fabricating these allegations of eavesdropping, and planting them in the press, Rosengart called Jamie’s attorney a liar.
Rosengart told Judge Penny: “He should be admonished. He has attacked me. He has attacked this court. And it is intolerable.” After a heated back-and-forth with Rosengart, Weingarten told Judge Penny: “The problem is we are fighting with our hands behind our back.”
Adding that Rosengart and Spears are using the media to drive public sympathy, Weingarten then asked the court to unseal records from the entire case – including Britney’s medical files – so that the “truth” can become clear.
Britney’s lawyer said that the request was “offensive” and “highly inappropriate.”
The Independent has reached out to both attorneys for a comment.
When Weingarten asked Judge Penny to set a date to unseal the aforementioned documents, she did not immediately comply with his request, citing a busy calendar.
Before the hearing concluded, Judge Penny ruled it was not necessary to set aside a reserve from Britney’s estate, after Weingarten suggested a portion of money be set aside so lawyers’ fees may be eventually cleared.
Enjoy unlimited access to 100 million ad-free songs and podcasts with Amazon Music
Sign up now for a 4 month free trial (3 months for non-Prime members)
Enjoy unlimited access to 100 million ad-free songs and podcasts with Amazon Music
Sign up now for a 4 month free trial (3 months for non-Prime members)
In a court declaration filed last week, former Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) agent Sherine Ebadi alleged that Jamie “engaged in and directed others to engage in unconscionable violations of [Britney’s] privacy and civil liberties”.
According to Ebadi’s findings, Vlasov’s employer Black Box Security was already monitoring the pop star’s phone in 2012 when he began working with the security firm.
Further, Vlasov testified that Black Box allegedly sent Spears’ personal communication – including her “therapy notes and text messages” – to Jamie at his “explicit request”.
In the filings, Rosengart alleged that Jamie and his lawyers took more than $36m (£26.4m) from the pop star’s estate – including $6m (£4.4m) in fees to Black Box.
Among various contentious claims, Rosengart also stated that Jamie tried to pitch his own cooking show to various networks in 2015 by leveraging his daughter’s celebrity.
The next hearing in the matter is set for 27 July.