Britney Spears’ father demands $2 million from her for giving up custody

The father of American singer Britney Spears, who agreed to give up custody of his daughter, is seeking nearly $2 million in back pay. This was reported on Tuesday by TMZ, citing court records.

According to TMZ, Spears’ father-in-law argues that James Spears expects to pay court costs and Tri Star, which worked with the singer, by filing a conservatorship agreement with his daughter. A total of about $2 million is involved.

The singer’s lawyer Matthew Rosengart sees her father’s intention as an extortion attempt. “Britney Spears will not be bullied or extorted by her father,” the attorney pointed out, noting that James Spears “has no right to hold his daughter hostage by imposing conditions for giving up” custody. Earlier, the singer’s father said he was ready to release her from custody. According to a motion filed in mid-August, James Spears is willing to cooperate with the court to transfer control of his daughter’s finances to an auditor, as requested by her defense.

Spears was declared partially incompetent in 2008 due to drug and mental health issues. For more than 10 years, the singer’s finances, including a multimillion-dollar trust fund, were controlled by her father and a court-appointed attorney. The singer’s father single-handedly made many decisions regarding her career, treatment and personal life. Some of the singer’s fans claimed she was against it, but was forced to agree.

In 2019, one of Spears’ guardians became manager Jody Montgomery. The singer’s father had serious health problems at the time, undergoing several surgeries. In 2020, Britney Spears’ court-appointed attorney asked to change the terms of custody and remove the singer’s father from it. In that case, control of the condition would have passed to Montgomery. In July of this year, the singer personally appeared in court, asking for the custody, which has been going on for about 13 years, to be revoked.

The 39-year-old singer’s fortune is estimated at about $60 million. Spears is the recipient of a number of music awards, including a Grammy.