LOS ANGELES (CNS) — Two weeks after her blistering, in-court rebuke of her conservatorship, Britney Spears' court-appointed attorney filed papers Tuesday resigning from the case, as soon as another lawyer is named to represent her.
What You Need To Know
- Spears' longtime manager Larry Rudolph wrote a letter announcing his resignation, suggesting the singer was considering retiring from music
- "Earlier today, I became aware that Britney had been voicing her intention to officially retire," Rudolph wrote in a letter obtained and published by Deadline
- Spears' court-appointed attorney filed papers Tuesday resigning from the conservatorship case as soon as another lawyer is named to represent her
- Spears has not performed for more than two years
The move by Samuel D. Ingham III came one day after Spears' longtime manager Larry Rudolph wrote a letter announcing his resignation, suggesting the singer was considering retiring from music.
"It has been over 1 1/2 years since Britney and I last communicated, at which time she informed me she wanted to take an indefinite work hiatus," Rudolph wrote in a letter obtained and published by Deadline. "Earlier today, I became aware that Britney had been voicing her intention to officially retire."
Rudolph's letter was sent to Spears' father, Jamie, who is the co-conservator of his daughter's estate, and to Jodi Montgomery, conservator of her person. The singer has been under a conservatorship since 2008, although she made her impassioned plea to the court two weeks ago was a call for it to end.
In his letter, Rudolph wrote that he has "never been a part of the conservatorship nor its operations, so I am not privy to many of these details."
"I was originally hired at Britney's request to help manage and assist with her career," he wrote. "And as her manager, I believe it is in Britney's best interest for me to resign from her team as my professional services are no longer needed. Please accept this letter as my formal resignation.
"I will always be incredibly proud of what we accomplished over our 25 years together. I wish Britney all the health and happiness in the world, and I'll be there for her if she ever needs me again, just as I always have been."
Spears has not performed for more than two years, and she has previously indicated through her attorneys that she would not do so again as long as her father has a role in the conservatorship.
Meanwhile, Ingham filed a brief petition with the court Tuesday resigning as Spears' court-appointed attorney. The Los Angeles law firm of Loeb & Loeb, which was also representing Spears, also submitted papers resigning from the job. Both resignations will be "effective upon the appointment of new court-appointed counsel."
No reason was stated for the resignation. Questions about the level of communication between Spears and her attorneys were raised after the singer's emotional testimony during a June 23 court hearing, during which she claimed she had never been told she could petition the court to end the conservatorship.
No such petition has ever been filed.
Last week, the wealth-management firm Bessemer Trust filed court papers seeking to withdraw as co-conservator of Spears' estate, even though the company has never actually begun serving in that role. The firm was appointed in November, but the court papers weren't signed until last week.
Another court hearing on the conservatorship is set for July 14.
Also last week, Jamie Spears filed court papers asking the court to investigate his daughter's allegations of abusive treatment by those involved in the conservatorship "to determine what corrective actions, if any, need to be taken."
The long-lingering conservatorship prompted her fans to launch a #FreeBritney movement, calling for an end to the oversight of the 39-year-old singer's life and affairs.