Pop star's father says he will step aside

LOS ANGELES • In an abrupt reversal after more than a year of fighting in court - and a much longer battle behind the scenes - American singer Britney Spears' father has agreed to eventually step aside from his long-running role overseeing her finances as part of the unique conservatorship that has governed her life since 2008.

Spears, 39, has called the conservatorship abusive and has said she is afraid of her father, Mr James Spears, vowing not to perform as long as he remains in charge.

A new lawyer for the singer recently filed in court to have Mr Spears, known as Jamie, immediately suspended or removed from his position as conservator of her estate.

Initially, Mr Spears, 69, objected to the request and defended his work on behalf of his daughter.

But in a new filing in the Los Angeles probate court on Thursday, lawyers for Mr Spears said that, while there were "no actual grounds for suspending or removing" him, he intended to work with the court to assure "an orderly transition to a new conservator".

The lawyers did not provide a timeline for the change, and steadfastly maintained that Mr Spears had "saved Ms Spears from disaster, supported her when she needed it the most, protected her and her reputation from harm, and facilitated the restoration of her career".

Mr Mathew Rosengart, a former federal prosecutor and Hollywood lawyer who took over as Britney Spears' representative last month, said in a statement: "We are pleased that Mr Spears and his lawyer have today conceded in a filing that he must be removed."

The lawyer also reiterated his call for Mr Spears to "step aside immediately".

Mr Spears first petitioned the probate court for legal authority over his daughter's life and finances in early 2008, citing concerns about her mental health and potential substance abuse.

By the end of that year, the arrangement, typically reserved for people who cannot take care of themselves, was made permanent.

For years, Britney Spears bristled behind the scenes at the strictures of the conservatorship, calling her father and his oversight over her oppressive and unnecessary, given her continued success as a musician.

The singer also raised questions about the fitness of her father - who has struggled with alcoholism and faced accusations of physical and verbal abuse - as conservator, and began officially seeking substantial changes to the arrangement in court last summer.

But the urgency of her requests ratcheted up in June, when she publicly addressed the conservatorship in detail for the first time, calling in court for it to end and singling out her father as "the one who approved all of it".

The next status hearing in the case is scheduled for Sept 29.

NYTIMES