Jamie Spears says he intends to step down as conservator of Britney Spears

By Lisa Respers France and Chloe Melas, CNN

    (CNN) -- After months of public pressure from supporters of Britney Spears, Jamie Spears, the singer's father, signaled in a legal response Thursday that intends to step down as conservator of the singer's estate, according to a prepared copy of the response obtained by CNN.

"There are, in fact, no actual grounds for suspending or removing Mr. Spears as the Conservator of the Estate" and "it is highly debatable whether a change in conservator at this time would be in Ms. Spears' best interests," the document states.

"Nevertheless, even as Mr. Spears is the unremitting target of unjustified attacks, he does not believe that a public battle with his daughter over his continuing service as her conservator would be in her best interests," the legal response goes on to say. "So even though he must contest this unjustified Petition for his removal, Mr. Spears intends to work with the Court and his daughter's new attorney to prepare for an orderly transition to a new conservator."

The move comes days after Judge Brenda Penny denied a petition filed by Britney Spears' attorney Mathew Rosengart to move a September 29 hearing about the case up to August 23 in an effort to remove her father as conservator as soon as possible.

"We are pleased that Mr. Spears and his lawyer have today conceded in a filing that he must be removed. It is vindication for Britney. We are disappointed, however, by their ongoing shameful and reprehensible attacks on Ms. Spears and others," Mat Rosengart, attorney for Britney Spears, said in a statement to CNN. "We look forward to continuing our vigorous investigation into the conduct of Mr. Spears, and others, over the past 13 years, while he reaped millions of dollars from his daughter's estate, and I look forward to taking Mr. Spears's sworn deposition in the near future. In the interim, rather than making false accusations and taking cheap shots at his own daughter, Mr. Spears should remain silent and step aside immediately."

The elder Spears has been serving as co-conservator of his daughter's multi-million dollar estate for more than a decade. During a hearing in July, Britney Spears said she wanted to press charges against her father for "conservatorship abuse" and called the 13-year arrangement ""f—ing cruelty."

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