Britney Spears’ father has been ordered to appear in court to face questions over alleged surveillance of his superstar daughter.
Jamie Spears, 70, will be deposed to testify within the next 30 days and has been told he must also produce all documents requested by the singer’s lawyers.
A judge made the orders during a hearing in Los Angeles on Wednesday.
Spears’ father has previously denied all allegations that he spied on her using secret recording devices hidden in her bedroom during her conservatorship, saying the claims are “false”.
Spears married Sam Asghari last month. Pic: AP
The star’s lawyer Matthew Rosengart told reporters outside the court after the hearing: “Today was a very good day in court for Britney Spears, and it was a very good day for justice.
“Mr Spears as the court determined has now effectively been hiding from his deposition for no less than nine months.
“The day of reckoning for Mr Spears has come… we have seen nothing but obstruction and stone-walling from him.”
Mr Rosengart added: “His daughter is finally free. His daughter is married. His daughter is happy. His daughter wants to move on.
“Mr Spears, if he loves his daughter as he professes he does, should leave her alone.”
Mr Spears’ lawyers have attempted to get the star herself to be deposed – a move which her representatives have described as “retaliatory”.
In a court filing earlier in July, he said: “I never conducted or authorised any surveillance of Britney’s bedroom at any time, including during the conservatorship.”
The singer, 40, was freed from the controversial legal arrangement, which allowed her father and others to control her life and finances for nearly 14 years, in November.
In a court hearing in the months leading up to the milestone ruling, she criticised her father for controlling her life, and has continued to speak out about her family’s lack of support over the years.
In June, she married partner Sam Asgahri, 28, at their home in Los Angeles, in a small ceremony attended by celebrity guests including Madonna and Selena Gomez.