Britney Spears' lawyer has been denied a request to have her father immediately removed as her co-conservator, despite alleging the pop superstar is "afraid" of him.
Us Magazine reported that Sam Ingham made the bold statement in a Los Angeles court hearing conducted via phone on Tuesday, claiming the Gimme More hitmaker is refusing to return to the stage until Jamie Spears steps down from overseeing her affairs.
"My client has informed me that she is afraid of her father," Ingham told Judge Brenda Penny.
"She also stated that she will not perform as long as her father is in charge of her career. We are really at a crossroads," he went on.
Jamie's legal representative, Vivian Lee Thoreen, challenged the remarks and accused Ingham of preventing Britney from talking to her dad.
Meanwhile Britney's mother, Lynne Spears, also had her attorney, Gladstone Jones, present for the hearing, during which it was revealed she had been urging her ex-husband Jamie to relinquish his role in the conservatorship so he can "be a part of" Britney's life again.
"It has broken Lynne's heart to watch that this has come to this point (sic)," Jones said.
"Lynne believes the time is now to start fresh given the circumstance of Britney's request," the attorney added.
Judge Penny has decided not to remove Jamie as co-conservator, but allowed the matter to be further discussed "down the road".
