Britney Spears is refusing to pay her mother’s legal fees

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Britney Spears has had enough. Last year she finally managed to escape the strict conservatorship in which her father controlled most aspects of her life. This came at the end of a long, costly, and hard-fought legal battle, though it seems that she’s not quite clear of complications yet.

As reported by Variety, her mother, Lynne Spears, is petitioning a judge that her daughter should foot the bill for her $663,202.84 attorney’s bills. These costs mounted up during the conservatorship court case, though as Britney eventually triumphed, most would assume she wouldn’t be on the hook for other parties’ legal bills.

Britney is adamant that she’s not bailing her mom out. Her attorney Mathew Rosengart has filed new court documents asking a judge to deny the petition and released a pointed statement saying:

“Britney Spears has for decades been her family’s sole breadwinner, supporting her entire family. Lynne Spears and her counsel seek payment of legal fees and costs — from Britney Spears — of more than $660,000 … Britney Spears opposes the Petition in its entirety.” 

Rosengart also notes that Lynne Spears wasn’t even an official party involved with the conservatorship.

The reasoning from Lynne Spears’ lawyers is that she’s the reason the wheels began turning on Britney escaping her father’s control. Britney has already pushed back on this narrative, saying in a (now deleted) Instagram post that:

“My dad may have started the conservatorship 13 years ago, but what people don’t know is that my mom is the one who gave him the idea.”

All this should be settled in July when rulings are due on petitions to have Britney pay her father’s legal fees (a request Rosengart described as an “abomination”), allegations of eavesdropping and improper behavior, and whether she’ll have to pay her mom’s bill.

Here’s hoping Britney finally extricates herself from this mess, as it all sounds extremely… toxic.