Britney Spears has officially asked for her father to be replaced as her conservator, 13 years after he assumed control of her life and finances.
The star’s new lawyer petitioned the court on Monday, a month after Spears broke her public silence on the arrangement, calling it “abusive”.
In court papers, Mathew S. Rosengart described the conservatorship as a “Kafkaesque nightmare”.
He asked for accountant Jason Rubin to be named conservator of Spears’ estate.
The estate was listed as having cash assets of $2.7 million (£1.95 million) and non-cash assets of more than $57 million ($41 million).
According to his website, Rubin has experience in handling complex trust portfolios and cases involving financial exploitation of the elderly.
The move to replace Jamie Spears is expected to be the first stage of a broader strategy to examine the validity of the conservatorship.
The arrangement began in 2008 when concerns over Britney’s mental health prompted her father to petition the court for legal authority over his daughter’s life.
Public support for the star has surged after her emotional court testimony last month, in which she said she had been drugged, forced to perform against her will and prevented from having children.
She said she wanted her father removed from his role, claiming he “works me so hard” and had threatened to “punish” her if she didn’t follow his orders.
In a later Instagram post, she said she would not perform again while her father retained control of her career. “I’m not gonna be performing on any stages anytime soon with my dad handling what I wear, say, do, or think”.
Jamie Spears has consistently denied any accusations of abuse and has expressed concern for his daughter’s wellbeing.
