It's a 'Major Victory' for Britney Spears

Britney Spears' father Jamie Spears must sit for a deposition within the next 30 days, according to a court ruling, which Variety calls a "major victory" for the pop star whose legal team claims her former conservator hired a security firm to monitor her phone and bug her bedroom. Britney's team has been trying to get Jamie to sit for a deposition for nine months since a former cybersecurity manager for security firm Black Box went to the New York Times with the allegations. At a hearing at the Los Angeles Superior Courthouse on Wednesday, Judge Brenda Penny agreed Jamie had failed to appear for his deposition and must now travel to Los Angeles to answer questions under oath.

She also ordered him to produce "all documents and communications" related to alleged "electronic surveillance" requested by his daughter's team, per Rolling Stone. The judge denied a request from Jamie's attorney, Alex Weingarten, to allow him access to documents from Britney's team ahead of the deposition. She also gave "a tentative order to deny Jamie Spears' motion to depose his daughter," per Variety. Jamie wants Britney to defend claims she's made on social media. But then Penny "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," according to the outlet.

This triggered "fiery debate" among the parties' lawyers, per Variety. Weingarten said it was normal and expected that Britney, who holds "a treasure trove of information," should speak under oath. But her attorney Mathew Rosengart said it would be "re-traumatizing" to the singer, who is a victim, "not the accuser." "You don't sit down a victim for a deposition to be deposed by the victimizer," he said. "Mr. Spears is the individual who has documentation and first hand knowledge … Mr. Spears and the documentation serve as the evidence." He also argued Jamie is trying "to suck [Britney] back into the conservatorship" for "improper, immoral reasons." Penny is to issue a final decision at another hearing on July 27. (More Britney Spears stories.)