Connect with us
Tuesday,01-April-2025
Breaking News

Entertainment

Judge orders Britney Spears’ father to depose, produce documents

Published

on

 A judge ruled that pop-singer Britney Spears’ father, Jamie Spears, must sit for a deposition and produce all documents that are being requested by the pop star’s team.

According to Variety, the judge ordered Spears’ father to be deposed within the next 30 days in Los Angeles.

Judge Brenda Penny ordered Spears’ father to produce all documents related to electronic surveillance.

This move favours the singer, and indicates that the court believes it has reason to further inquire into shocking allegations that Jamie Spears had hired a security firm that put his daughter under surveillance throughout her conservatorship, with allegations of monitoring her phone and bugging her bedroom to record her private conversations.

Prior to the judge’s ruling on these motions, Jamie Spears’ attorney, Alex Weingarten, asked the judge to give his team access to documents from the singer’s team to help prepare for his client’s deposition, reports Variety.

“It’s a deposition. Not an ambush,” Weingarten said in the courtroom, before Judge Penny ruled against his request.

The hearing at the Los Angeles Superior Courthouse was heated with fiery debate among Weingarten and the pop star’s attorney, Mathew Rosengart.

Wednesday’s hearing marked a big victory for the singer, who has been fighting against her father in a continuous legal battle ever since her conservatorship was terminated last year.

Spears was put under a court-ordered conservatorship in 2008 by her father, who acted as her sole conservator for most of the 13 years.

After more than a decade of fighting against the arrangement, Spears’ father was suspended by the court in September 2021, and the conservatorship was ultimately terminated in November 2021. Despite the singer’s newfound freedom, her legal team’s battle has remained messy with no resolution from either side.

Still on the table after Wednesday’s hearing is whether the singer will be deposed by her father’s team.

The judge nearly reached a decision on that matter, first giving a tentative order to deny Jamie Spears’ motion to depose his daughter, but then decided to continue the motion, asking the attorneys on both sides to present their arguments to the court on why the singer should or should not sit for a deposition, ahead of the July 27 hearing.

“You don’t sit down a victim for a deposition to be deposed by the victimiser,” Rosengart argued in the courtroom, telling the judge that sitting for a deposition would be “re-traumatising” to the singer.

Last month, Weingarten filed documents on behalf of Jamie Spears, requesting to depose his daughter, in light of her social media posts. Rosengart blasted the request, calling it a “revenge” and “sham”.

In court on Wednesday, Weingarten said that having Spears sit for a deposition is par for the course, since she is a party in the case.

Rosengart firmly disagreed, arguing that Spears’ father should have all the information he needs, given that he was the one who was running her conservatorship and making decisions about her life.

“Ms. Spears was in a conservatorship for 13 years that was run by her father,” Rosengart told the judge.

“Mr. Spears is the individual who has documentation and first hand knowledge. Mr. Spears and the documentation serve as the evidence. Ms. Spears has no knowledge or documents,” Rosengart continued, telling the judge that she is the victim in this situation.

“She’s not the accuser. She’s not the alleger,” he said. “Ms. Spears is not a plaintiff here. Ms. Spears is not a defendant here.”

Rosengart told the judge that his client’s father is only filing motions to “drive up fees,” instead of letting his daughter “move on with her life.”

“She is free, and Mr. Spears wants to suck her back into the conservatorship” for “improper, immoral reasons,” Rosengart said.

At one point, pleading with the judge to allow his team to depose the pop star, Weingarten said that “unfortunately” there are documents under seal and “court orders regarding” the electronic surveillance.

“Based on what I know,” he said, “I suspect that Ms. Spears will be a treasure trove of information.”

Weingarten said that if the judge decides the singer does not have to sit for a deposition, her father will not have his “fair day in court.

The attorney said he is being held to a “different standard” than other parties in the case, based on “unproven allegations.”

“I appreciate that it’s en vogue to trash Jamie Spears,” Weingarten told the judge “But he has rights in this country, you’re innocent until proven guilty.”

“You do not put a victim back in front of the victimiser. It’s the wrong thing to do,” Rosengart shot back.

“That would be wrong, whether my client was Britney Spears or Jane Doe.”

“The mere deposition itself is harassment,” Rosengart told the judge.

Rosengart has been fighting against Jamie Spears and the singer’s former business manager, Tri Star Sports & Entertainment, ever since he was retained by Spears in summer 2021.

He has accused the company of “stonewalling” his attempts to obtain information for his client, refusing to cooperate and avoiding deposition. Spears’ legal team said they have been requesting to depose the elder Spears for nine months, and claimed he has evaded those requests. At Wednesday’s hearing, Judge Penny moved in favour of the star, agreeing that her father has failed to appear for his deposition.

Earlier this month, in bombshell court documents, Rosengart claimed that his client’s father and Tri Star were in cahoots to create the conservatorship and reap the benefits by taking millions of the superstar’s hard-earned money, rather than looking out for her best interest, which they deny.

Rosengart claimed that Tri Star was directly involved in creating the conservatorship and received at least $18 million throughout it.

Lawyers for Tri Star denied these claims, stating, “As all the evidence makes abundantly clear, the conservatorship was set up on the recommendation of legal counsel, not Tri Star, and approved by the Court for more than 12 years.”

Spears’ father and Tri Star have denied all claims of improper behaviour, despite been the subject of damning accusations. While the surveillance allegations have largely focused on Spears’ father and Black Box, the security team he was alleged to have hired, Tri Star has been at the centre of extensive claims of financial mismanagement.

A report in the New York Times alleged the star was under surveillance from a security team hired by her father and that Tri Star was involved in monitoring the singer’s phone.

At the time, a lawyer for Tri Star told Times, “These allegations are not true.” Earlier this month, Weingarten filed a sworn declaration from Jamie Spears, denying having any awareness of his adult daughter’s private bedroom being bugged or authorising surveillance of the pop star.

“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 declaration stated.

“This allegation is false.”

Weingarten did not speak to members of the media after the hearing on Wednesday, but outside of the courthouse, Rosengart told reporters that his client wants to simply “move on.”

“Mr. Spears, if he loves his daughter, as he professes he does, should leave her alone,” Rosengart told reporters, including Variety.

“He should get on with his life, instead of continuing to litigate against his daughter.”

Bollywood

Sanjay Dutt, Palak Tiwari-starrer ‘The Bhootnii’ trailer is all about ghosts, gadgets and guns

Published

on

Mumbai, March 29: The trailer for the upcoming film “The Bhootnii”, starring Sanjay Dutt, Palak Tiwari, Mouni Roy, and Sunny Singh, was unveiled on Saturday. It promises a thrilling blend of fun and spookiness.

The trailer is filled with witty punchlines, eerie thrills, and a generous dose of Sanjay’s iconic swag. The Bhootnii promises to transport audiences into a world where horror meets humor in the most unexpected ways.

The makers launched the trailer of the movie at a mega event in Mumbai in presence of the entire star cast.

It was on February 26, when Sanjay had revealed the title of the film, which was earlier called “The Virgin Tree”, on the auspicious occasion of Maha Shivratri. It was also revealed that the project will be hitting the theatres on April 18, 2025.

The makers had also shared a teaser, which gives an insight into the mystical world where ‘love turns into darkness’.

Soham Rockstar Entertainment and Three Dimension Motion Pictures are presenting “The Bhootnii”, which has been produced under the banner of A Soham Rockstar Entertainment Production by Deepak Mukut, Sanjay Dutt, Hunar Mukut, and Maanayata Dutt.

Additionally, Sanjay’s lineup includes the much-awaited sequel “Welcome to the Jungle.” The Ahmed Khan’s directorial enjoys an ensemble cast with Akshay Kumar, Raveena Tandon Disha Patani, Suniel Shetty, Lara Dutta, Bobby Deol, Jacqueline Fernandez, Paresh Rawal, Arshad Warsi, Rajpal Yadav, Johny Lever, Shreyas Talpade, and Tusshar Kapoor.

The film is the third installment to the “Welcome” franchise. It was first released in 2007 and the second part Welcome Back hit the screens in 2015.

Furthermore, Sanjay will also be seen playing a crucial role in “Son of Sardaar 2”. The drama has Ajay Devgn and Mrunal Thakur as the lead pair. Directed by Vijay Kumar Arora, Ajay Devgn has produced the film under the banner of Devgn Films in collaboration with Jio Studios.

Continue Reading

Entertainment

Sushant Singh Rajput Death Case: CBI Closure Report Vindicates Bandra Police’s Investigation, Confirms No Foul Play

Published

on

Mumbai: The Central Bureau of Investigation’s (CBI) closure report in the case of actor Sushant Singh Rajput, 34, vindicates that the Bandra Police’s investigation was headed in the right direction at the time. Five years after the actor’s death, the CBI recently submitted closure reports in two related cases at the Metropolitan Magistrate Court, Bandra, including the one concerning his death in June 2020.

Agency officials confirmed that their investigation found no foul play in his demise, calling it “a simple case of suicide.” This report supports the Bandra Police’s initial investigation and affirms that their inquiry was on the right track before the case was transferred to the CBI.

On June 14, 2020, Sushant Singh Rajput’s body was found at his rented apartment in Bandra West. At that time, the Bandra Police registered an Accidental Death Report (ADR).

However, several politicians, a few celebrities, a few media personalities, and a section of society questioned the Mumbai Police’s investigation, alleging that the actor had been murdered or driven to suicide. Eventually, after conducting its investigation, the CBI found no evidence of foul play and closed the case.

The CBI’s closure report has reinforced that the Bandra Police’s initial investigation was thorough and correctly directed. The Bandra Police had registered the ADR and investigated the matter for 46 days before the case was handed over to the CBI.

During those 46 days, some politicians, celebrities, and sections of the media cast doubts on the credibility of the Mumbai Police, attempting to tarnish its image. However, in the end, it has been proven that their investigation was thorough and impartial.

One of the prime investigating officers (Bandra police) of the case, who was among the first to arrive at the scene after the actor’s death, spoke after the closure report was filed, “I was 100% confident in the findings mentioned in the CBI’s report, and my seniors trusted my investigation. I thank the CBI, but I wish the results had come earlier—it has now been almost five years. I investigated only the ADR, not the other related cases. Officers who handle an investigation from the beginning always know everything. My inquiry was based on the post-mortem report. At that time, many different angles emerged, and we examined all of them thoroughly.”

He further added, “The CBI is also part of the police force, and they conducted a good investigation. When the case was transferred to the CBI, I had no issue because they, too, are part of the same law enforcement system. Whether we work under the central or state government, we belong to the same fraternity. I had a good experience working with the CBI. The Mumbai Police never faced political pressure. However, various illogical theories surfaced in the media and on social media, and the COVID-19 pandemic was also ongoing at the time. Despite all this, nothing impacted our investigation.”

Bhushan Belnekar was the investigating officer in the actor’s ADR case. Along with him, Padmakar Devre, Senior Police Inspector Nikhil Kapse, PSI Ekta Pawar, and Sub-Inspector Vaibhav Jagtap were part of the investigative team. Belnekar, Devre, and Kapse have since retired.

Another police officer from the Bandra Police investigation team stated, “This report proves that our investigation was on the right track. No political agenda influenced us. During our inquiry, we considered all the angles raised by the media and social media. We did not overlook a single possibility and examined every aspect thoroughly. From the beginning, the circumstances, medical reports, and forensic analysis indicated that it was a case of suicide.”

He further mentioned, “The pandemic posed an additional challenge for us. We conducted our investigation based on the available inputs. Many theories emerged, but we found no evidence to support the murder theory or abetment of suicide or murder. All case records have been maintained. At that time, his relatives immediately did not file any complaints.”

When asked whether the Mumbai Police’s morale was affected after the case was transferred to the CBI, he responded, “Our morale was not affected. In fact, we believed that the CBI would conduct a thorough investigation, and now their findings have validated our work.”

The actor used to stay in his sixth-floor duplex flat at Mont Blanc Apartments near Joggers’ Park in Bandra West, where his body was found on June 14, 2020.

Continue Reading

Crime

New India Cooperative Bank: Bollywood Actress Preity Zinta Received ₹1.5 Crore Loan Remission, Reveals EOW Probe

Published

on

Mumbai: Bollywood actress Preity Zinta received a loan remission by New India Cooperative Bank. The Economic Offences Wing (EOW) is looking into Hiren Bhanu, the former chairman of the bank, for allegedly approving loans in return for bribes, as per reports.

The investigation has revealed that the actress benefitted from a remission on her loan. The police said that on January 7, 2011, a loan of Rs. 18 crore was sanctioned to actress Preity Zinta. The loan was declared a Non-Performing Asset (NPA) on March 31, 2013. The amount was later settled at Rs. 10.74 crore, and a remission of Rs. 1.55 crore was granted to her. The amount was paid on April 5, 2014, according to a report by Media quoting an EOW officer.

In February, the Kerala Congress unit alleged that the bank had waived off a Rs 18 crore loan in exchange for Preity Zinta’s support for the BJP. In response, Zinta clarified that she had an overdraft facility with the bank over 12 years ago, which was fully repaid more than a decade ago. She stated that her account had been closed since then, refuting any claims that she benefited from the bank’s financial issues.

While replying to the post of the Congress Kerala, Actress stated “No I operate my social media accounts my self and shame on you for promoting FAKE NEWS ! No one wrote off anything or any loan for me. I’m shocked that a political party or their representative is promoting fake news & indulging in vile gossip & click baits using my name & images. For the record a loan was taken and FULLY PAID BACK – over 10 years ago. Hope this clarifies and helps so there are no misunderstandings in the future.”

The Economic Offences Wing (EOW) officer mentioned that they are reviewing the documents from the bank as part of their investigation.

Continue Reading

Trending