Britney Spears and her attorney successfully drove her father from the conservatorship that has run the singer's life and controlled her money, but they say they are not done scrutinizing him and the actions he took over the past 13 years.
After a Los Angeles Superior Court judge suspended James Spears as conservator, attorney Mathew Rosengart said his legal team would perform a "top-to-bottom" examination of his behavior now that they have access to years of books and records. Some allegations, he added, could bring a “hard look” from law enforcement.
“Jamie Spears and others are going to face even more serious ramifications for his misconduct,” Rosengart said Wednesday outside court.
But legal acts may pose problems too. Experts say some of the allegations that have emerged have exposed the shortcomings of the conservatorship system, which gives conservators vast control over people deemed mentally incapable of making major life decisions, as Britney Spears was found to be in 2008.
“There are safeguards in place,” said Sarah Wentz, a probate attorney who works on many conservatorship cases. “I think the failings in this case show us where they can be manipulated. I am disappointed in our system."
Few of the allegations against James Spears, which range from mismanagement of funds to fierce control of his daughter's every move, have been publicly proven. His attorneys say they range from unsubstantiated to impossible, and that he only ever acted in her best interest.
Judge Brenda Penny was legally allowed to suspend the elder Spears at her discretion and held no fact-finding hearing before ousting him, citing only the “toxic environment” that he created around his daughter.
His suspension could now allow evidence to be gathered, however. “They needed to have him out of the way,” Wentz said. “He has too direct a conflict.” - USA Today
