By Blessing Udeobasi
As the legal battle between singer Britney Spears and her father, Jamie Spears continues over his alleged misconduct during the controversial legal and financial arrangement, which was terminated last November after almost 14 years, a US judge has denied a motion by Jamie that Britney return to court to face further questioning over her conservatorship.
Judge Brenda Penny said the singer’s deposition was ‘unlikely’ to produce any information not discoverable by Jamie Spears’ legal team through ‘alternative means’.
Britney’s attorneys who described the request as ‘morally abominable’ had said that recent legal filings by Jamie demonstrated ‘his intent to harass, harm, and re-traumatise’ his daughter and accused him of sinking to ‘a new low’.
Recall that Britney had been placed under a conservatorship in 2008 following a public breakdown the year before, with Jamie acting as conservator for the majority of its duration.
Ms Penny recently ordered that Jamie himself be deposed, and face questions about alleged surveillance of the singer at her home – which he denies.
At a hearing on Wednesday, the judge said that the motion to have Britney face questions had been denied in order to protect her from ‘unwarranted annoyance, embarrassment or oppression’.
According to a report by Metro, Jamie attended the hearing via telephone, as legal representatives on both sides exchanged strong words in the courtroom.
“Whether [Mr Spears] believes it or not, whether he accepts it or not, his daughter feels traumatised by what she went through at his hands,’ said Mathew Rosengart, who represents the singer.
READ ALSO: Singer Britney Spears ‘won’t testify’ after suing her father for stealing from her
“He is free to believe his own flesh and blood is lying, she isn’t, but he is free to believe that.
“But what would a decent human being… What would a decent father do?
“He has told the world that he loves his daughter. If that is true, and I am willing to give him the benefit of the doubt, he should accept the decision of the court.
“It’s what a decent man would do. It’s what a decent father would do.’
However, Jamie’s own lawyer Alex Weingarten accused Mr Rosengart of directing his words ‘not to the court, but to the media’.
”Mr Spears did right by his daughter,’’ he said.
“It is because of [the conservatorship] that she is where she is today. Mr Spears is proud and will remain proud of what he did for, not to, his daughter.’
He added that Mr Spears would ultimately be ‘vindicated’ by the court and that he had ‘done nothing wrong’.
Mr Rosengart responded that it would be ‘impossible’ for Mr Spears to be vindicated or repair the damage to his reputation.
“If he wants to go on television or write a book to vindicate himself, I wish him luck,” he said.
