Britney Spears, 40, is taking a legal step when it comes to her public feud with her younger sister Jamie Lynn Spears. The singer asked her attorney Mathew S. Rosengart to issue her 30-year-old sibling a cease and desist letter, which was obtained by Page Six, that demands her to leave her out of her book tour for her just released memior, Things I Should Have Said, and says that she “will no longer be bullied” for the point of book sales.
“Dear Ms. Spears: As you know, I represent your sister Britney Spears, and I write at her request concerning the above-referenced matter. We write with some hesitation because the last thing Britney wants is to bring more attention to your ill-timed book and its misleading or outrageous claims about her,” the letter, which can be seen above, starts.
“Although Britney has not read and does not intend to read your book, she and millions of her fans were shocked to see how you have exploited her for monetary gain. She will not tolerate it, nor should she,” it continues.
The letter goes on to bring up the “abuse and wrongdoing” that Britney had to go through during her 13-year conservatorship, which was established by her and Jamie Lynn’s father, Jamie Spears, to gain control of her personal, medical and financial affairs.
“You of all people know the abuse and wrongdoing Britney had to endure during the conservatorship, after initially growing up with a ‘ruinous,’ alcoholic father,” the letter states. “In fact, your own book reportedly states that your father ‘spent most of my life in that cycle of ruinous behavior. His bouts of drinking caused me periods of torment and sorrow.”
“As I have previously stated, having endured a 13-year conservatorship that stripped her of civil rights and fundamental liberties, Britney will no longer be bullied by her father or anyone else,” it continues before going on to say that it was Britney who was the “breadwinner” of the family.
“Britney was the family’s breadwinner and she also otherwise supported you. Publicly airing false or fantastical grievances is wrong, especially when designed to sell books. It is also potentially unlawful and defamatory,” the letter says.
“Michelle Obama famously said, ‘when they go low, we go high’, and to Britney’s great credit, that is exactly what Britney is going to do, for the time being,” the last part of the letter reads. “You recently reportedly stated that the book was ‘not about her.’ She takes you at your word and we, therefore, demand that you cease and desist from referencing Britney derogatorily during your promotional campaign. If you fail to do so or defame her, Britney will be forced to consider and take all appropriate legal action.”
Britney’s cease and desist letter comes after she and Jamie Lynn have been publicly feuding in interviews and on social media over the past few weeks. The feud started around the same time that Jamie Lynn began doing press for her book, which includes excerpts of her perceptions about situations she and Britney were involved in over the years. In the interviews, she has been openly expressing her opinions about Britney and their issues, and Britney’s made it clear she sees things differently.
One of Jamie Lynn’s latest interviews was on the Call Her Daddy podcast on Jan. 18, and in it, she discussed how she was “sad” over her big sister’s breakup with Justin Timberlake back in 2002. It didn’t take long, however, for Britney to take to Instagram to disagree by claiming Jamie Lynn and their mom Lynne treated her like “a ghost” after the split and didn’t give her the support she felt she needed. “I’m sorry Jamie Lynn, I wasn’t strong enough to do what should have been done … slapped you and Mamma right across your f–king faces !!!!!,” the “…Baby One More Time” crooner shockingly wrote in part of the post, which can be seen above.