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| Screenshot Yahoo Entertainment |
by Suzy Byrne
Britney Spears's dad denies bugging her bedroom.
While her conservatorship was ended in November — and her father, Jamie Spears, was ousted as her conservator 10 months ago — there are many loose ends that need to be tied up. They include payments Jamie is seeking for his former role as well as addressing the allegations of conservatorship abuse made by the pop star.
Among numerous documents filed ahead of the next court date, which is July 13 in Los Angeles, is a sworn declaration from Jamie claiming he did not authorize surveillance of the pop star's bedroom.
"I am informed of the allegation by Britney's counsel that a listening device or 'bug' was placed her bedroom as surveillance during the Conservatorship," the signed document obtained by Yahoo Entertainment states. "This allegation is false. I never conducted or authorized any surveillance of Britney's bedroom at any time, including during the Conservatorship. I am not aware of any such surveillance having occurred."
Notably, Jamie did not deny that Britney's phone use was monitored while he was in charge.
Days before Jamie was ousted as conservator last September, the New York Times released a documentary called Controlling Britney Spears. It claimed that Jamie hired the security company Black Box which monitored the star's digital communications and secretly captured audio recordings ― more than 180 hours' worth ― from her bedroom of private conversations she had with her now-husband, Sam Asghari, and her two children, Preston, 16, and Jayden, 15.
Alex Vlasov, a former employee of Black Box, spoke on the record about the surveillance. He claimed he was once given a USB drive with audio recordings and ordered to delete it. That became another red flag for him after initially thinking the company was working to keep the star safe. He said he came to the realization that the singer wasn't being treated like a "human being" and was living in a "prison." Vlasov, a personal assistant to Black Box founder Edan Yemini — said he "did not want to be complicit in whatever they were involved in." (Yemini denied any misdoing, saying Black Box always acted professionally, ethically and legally.)
Vlasov also claimed that Britney's phone was monitored. He said the iCloud account on her phone was mirrored on an iPad. Vlasov was instructed to encrypt the singer's digital communications captured and send them to Jamie and Robin Greenhill, an employee of Tri Star Sports & Entertainment Group, which was the business manager for Britney's estate. (Greenhill denied any involvement, saying "no one at" the company "ever suggested monitoring [Britney's] electronic communications" nor were they "aware of any hidden electronic surveillance device placed in [her] bedroom.")
The "Oops!... I Did It Again" songstress was placed in a conservatorship, with Jamie in charge, in 2008 after back-to-back hospitalizations. The legal arrangement, in which the conservatee loses their rights and has their life managed by someone else, is usually reserved for the most incapacitated members of society — for instance, someone with dementia. However, Britney went on to perform at a very high level — earning millions for the conservatorship — and yet it never ended. Jamie — and the many lawyers associated with the conservatorship — made $36 million off of it, her attorney, Mathew Rosengart, has claimed.
One year ago, Britney broke her silence about the legal chokehold on her life, alleging conservatorship abuse. For the first time, she was allowed to hire her own attorney, Rosengart, who swiftly ousted Jamie, and ended the conservatorship. Jamie has maintained that he's only ever acted in Britney's "best interests." Rosengart has claimed Jamie continues to "harass, intimidate and bully" the singer.
Rosengart has since been fighting back against the outstanding financials, under Jamie, and is looking into the abuse allegations. Jamie, who Rosengart claims has dodged being deposed, wants his legal fees paid. Britney's mother also wants legal fees covered.
Britney has said she wants to "sue" her family
for keeping her in a conservatorship and profiting off of her for 13
years. She claimed she was forced into treatment facilities and made to
take birth control against her will. She is estranged from her family
now, with none of them invited to her wedding last month. She's writing a book about the ordeal.
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