Britney Spears' father Jamie has broken his silence after being suspended from his daughter's conservatorship.
During a hearing in Los Angeles on Wednesday, Judge Brenda Penny suspended Jamie as the popstar’s conservator after 13 years and appointed John Zabel, an accountant picked by Britney's legal team, to temporarily take control of her estate.
Following the decision, Jamie spoke out against the ruling, issuing a lengthy statement via his attorney Vivian Thoreen on Thursday.
"Mr. Spears loves his daughter Britney unconditionally," reads the statement, reports Variety. "For 13 years, he has tried to do what is in her best interests, whether as a conservator or her father. This started with agreeing to serve as her conservator when she voluntarily entered into the conservatorship. This included helping her revive her career and re-establish a relationship with her children. For anyone who has tried to help a family member dealing with mental health issues, they can appreciate the tremendous amount of daily worry and work this required. For Mr. Spears, this also meant biting his tongue and not responding to all the false, speculative, and unsubstantiated attacks on him by certain members of the public, media, or more recently, Britney's own attorney."
The lawyer continued to state that the court "was wrong" to suspend Jamie instead of terminating the conservatorship entirely, which he recently called on a judge to do in legal documents.
"These facts make the outcome of yesterday's hearing all the more disappointing, and frankly, a loss for Britney," the statement continues. "Respectfully, the court was wrong to suspend Mr. Spears, put a stranger in his place to manage Britney's estate, and extend the very conservatorship that Britney begged the court to terminate earlier this summer... It was Mr. Spears who asked the court at yesterday's hearing to immediately terminate the conservatorship while Britney's own attorney argued against it.
"Despite the suspension, Mr. Spears will continue to look out for the best interests of his daughter and work in good faith towards a positive resolution of all matters."
Thoreen argued against Jamie's suspension and in favour of a full termination of the conservatorship during the hearing.
The next hearing will take place on 12 November to decide if the legal arrangement should be dropped altogether.
