Britney Spears’ new attorney, Mathew Rosengart, has filed a petition to replace her father James Spears with Jason Rubin, a certified public accountant (CPA), as the pop star’s sole conservator. This move would remove her father, Jamie Spears, from his position as conservator of her estate—which he has held since 2008.
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“Ms. Spears respectfully submits that the Court should appoint her nominee; in that, it is an objectively intelligent preference to nominate a highly qualified, professional fiduciary in this circumstance,” states the petition. “Moreover, Ms. Spears respectfully submits that, given the Court’s recognition at the July 14, 2021 hearing, that Ms. Spears has sufficient capacity to choose her own legal counsel, she likewise has sufficient capacity to make this nomination.”
The petition was filed just weeks after Spears was permitted to select new legal representation brought on Rosengart—a prominent Hollywood attorney and federal prosecutor.
While Rosengart made it clear the ultimate goal is to end the conservatorship, he’s following up on his promise that he would “be filing as quickly as possible to get Mr. Spears removed.” Rosengart during the July 14 hearing suggested Jamie should voluntarily quit, but his lawyer Vivienne Thoreen declined saying,“ There is no basis for him stepping down.”
According to Certified Strategies’ website—where Rubin is a principal—he has nearly a decade of experience managing financial assets valued at over $35 million. His background also includes financial elder abuse litigation and considerable forensic accounting experience.
The singer’s assets are valued at more than $50 million and she has made several claims of abuse against her father James Spears, alleging he has used the arrangement for personal gain. James Spears has publicly denied these accusations.
On June 30, Judge Penny denied Britney Spears’ request to remove her father, Jamie, from her conservatorship. The decision came one week after her testimony on Wednesday, June 23. In a remote court hearing, the 39-year-old pop icon pleaded with Judge Penny over the phone in her first public statement in two years to reconsider the legal guardianship she described as “abusive.”
The decision to keep Jamie as conservator was not a result of the June 23 hearing. The petition request was filed previously, in November, by Spears’ attorney to add Bessemer Trust to serve as co-conservator alongside the singer’s father.
The court filing from Wednesday (June 30) states: “The conservator’s request to suspend James P. Spears immediately upon the appointment of Bessemer Trust Company of California as sole conservator of estate is denied without prejudice.”
The court later approved Bessemer Trust’s request to resign as co-conservator of the estate, which leaves Jamie solo in that role for at least a few more months. A hearing on Rubin’s appointment is tentatively set for Dec. 13. Spears, in the petition, indicated she will attend.
Meanwhile, L.A. County Superior Court Judge Brenda Penny signed an order temporarily extending Jodi Montgomery’s role as conservator of Spears’ person until Oct. 8. Montgomery, who has served in the position for about two years, indicated in a filing earlier this month, that despite escalating threats to her safety she won’t be “abandoning” Spears.
