Britney Spears ' dad, Jamie, agreed to step down as her estate conservator, but with stipulations.- Now a new court filing from Spears' lawyer said Jamie is asking for payment before he'll resign.
- It read Jamie wants "to barter suspension and removal in exchange for approximately $2 million."
Britney Spears' ongoing legal battle over her dad's involvement in her conservatorship continues to broil.
A new court filing from Spears' lawyer, Mathew Rosengart, read that
"Regardless of the past, Mr. Spears and his counsel are now on notice: the status quo is no longer tolerable, and Britney Spears will not be extorted," the new court filing, reviewed by Insider, said.
Rosengart's filing continues: "Mr. Spears's blatant attempt to barter suspension and removal in exchange for approximately $2 million in payments, on top of the millions already reaped from Ms. Spears's estate by Mr. Spears and his associates, is a non-starter."
On July 26, Rosengart's first petition to the court to have Jamie removed from the legal guardianship mentioned that Jamie has been "paying himself $16,000 per month" for the last 12 years.
On August 12, Jamie's lawyers filed a response to Spears' formal request that he be immediately removed from her conservatorship, saying Jamie "intends to work with the court and his daughter's new attorney to prepare for an orderly transition to a new conservator."
"Ultimately, the Court knows that what Mr. Spears is saying is true: He loves his daughter and he is acting (and has always acted) in only her best interest," the filing from Jamie's lawyers read last month.
"Mr. Spears continues to serve dutifully, and he should not be suspended or removed, and certainly not based on false allegations. Mr. Spears is willing to step down when the time is right, but the transition needs to be orderly and include a resolution of matters pending before the Court."
In other words, Jamie agreed to step down, but refused the request to do so immediately.
Now Rosengart is repeating Spears' request that her father be removed as soon as possible, and said in court documents that any "pre-conditions" from Jamie should not be taken into account.
"Mr. Spears's requested pre-conditions to resignation are self-interested and constitute an unacceptable and extortionate quid pro quo," the new filing read.
It continued: "Mr. Spears has no right to condition his departure on improper and extortionate demands for payment or blanket immunity. Instead, the only honorable, decent, and humane course of action is for Mr. Spears to resign now, provide all necessary information to evaluate his accounting, and, if matters cannot be resolve consensually, to try to defend his accounting."
Rosengart's mention of the condition of "blanket immunity" may be relevant to an appearance Spears made in court last July, when she told the judge overseeing her case that she wanted her father "charged with conservatorship abuse."
Insider reached out to both lawyers for Spears and her father, Jamie, but didn't immediately hear back.
The next scheduled hearing will take place on September 29. Rosengart said that if Jamie has not resigned by that date then "the court must suspend him."
You can read all the latest updates on Britney Spears' conservatorship case here.