Britney Spears, 39, was just granted permission to hire celebrity lawyer Mathew Rosengart to represent her in her ongoing legal battle — a judge signed off on it during a July 14 court hearing. The “Toxic” singer’s court-appointed lawyer Sam Ingham filed papers to resign on July 6, and Britney reportedly filed papers requesting Mathew to take his place. Here is everything you need to know about Mathew!
1. Mathew Was A Federal Prosecutor.
Mathew is an attorney for the law firm GreenbergTaurig. He studied at the Boston College Law School, where he graduated cum laude. Prior to his work in entertainment and white collar crime, he was a federal prosecutor. His cases were incredibly varied from “violent crimes to public corruption,” as the bio on his firm’s website states. His “nationally-recognized trial practice includes complex commercial and entertainment litigation.” His bio lists various attorney positions he held for the United States Department of Justice, including a trial attorney for the Justice Department’s Civil and Criminal Divisions and the Criminal Division Campaign Finance Task Force.
2. Mathew Won A Defamation Lawsuit For Sean Penn.
Mathew’s famous clients include Mystic River star Sean Penn. Mathew was Sean’s lawyer in a defamation suit against Empire creator Lee Daniels. When Lee mentioned Sean in a discussion about domestic abuse allegations against Empire star Terrence Howard in a 2015 interview with The Hollywood Reporter, Sean tried to sue the director for $10 million for defamation. Mathew was Sean’s lawyer when the two stars settled with an apology from Lee and a donation to Sean’s charity Community Organized Relief Effort (at the time, called “J/P HRO”), according to The Hollywood Reporter.
3. Mathew Has A Number Of Accolades.
Mathew has been recognized on a number of occasions for his skills as a lawyer. Most recently, he was recognized as a “Top Litigator” and “Leader of Influence” by the Los Angeles Business Journal, on July 12, according to a press release. He’s also been named in both Variety‘s “Legal Impact Report” and The Hollywood Reporter’s “Power Lawyers” lists for multiple years. He was named in both publications’ lists in 2021.
4. Mathew Has Represented A Ton Of Celebrities.
Mathew has tons of experience in media and entertainment litigation, and it’s only natural that his past clients include a bunch of celebrities. Besides Sean Penn, Mathew has represented Winona Ryder, NBA player Jimmy Butler, Shark Tank’s Daymond John, and that’s only in the past year, according to The Hollywood Reporter. Other stars who Mathew represents include Steven Spielberg, Julia Louis-Dreyfus, Eddie Vedder, and Keanu Reeves, via Variety.
5. Mathew Won A $14 Million Trial Against Gold Circle Films
One of Mathew’s most noteworthy cases was in 2019, when he represented the New York hedge fund Sandton Capital in its trial against Gold Circle Films, which has produced movies like Pitch Perfect and My Big Fat Greek Wedding. The production company had borrowed millions of dollars, and the debt was sold to Sandton. The hedge fund pursued a legal battle in 2015, with Mathew as its representative. A New York Supreme Court judge ruled against Gold Circle, and the production company was found to owe $14.1 million to Sandton, according to Variety.