Blair Berk and the Conservatorship : A Research Thread

[Tar_isa]

I think Jamie's tears are a classic psychological abuser's tears. He justifies his actions by making himself believe it's for her own good, and is an easy crier because he's used to that constant doing harm-crying for forgiveness-look what you make me do manipulative cycle. According to Lynne's book, he certainly has the practice.

 

[momoncourt]

1 hour ago, Tar_isa said:

Are we sure she went to Berk to defend herself from criminal charges and not to seek advice for a possible suit against someone else? Say, for example, someone who'd drugged her and checked her into rehab against her consent.

this would be logical if Britney was a totally stable and non-isolated adult.  She went from working through her childhood into the Larry Rudolph era who I'm sure goes way back with all these people.  When she hires her own attorney it's a court appointment.  Blair Berk defended Kanye for doing some kind of ... Kanye antic, while he was with Kim Kardashian, and at this point we could just call Laura Wasser "Laura Wasser-Kardashian" her dad handled Kris's divorce, she goes to their white parties handles all the kids divorces (except Rpb who she sticks on her associate Erica Lubans).  It is totally on-brand for Laura to haul random people in that make it so high net worth people are stuck in a legal tangle for years, if minors were not at stake that would be her business.

My spidey sense is telling me that this hole in Blair berks husbands resume holds some clues other than Pepsi, Rudolf would always sign his clients with Pepsi - never Coke and this was height of soda wars.  I worked in music in that era and Rudolf was one of those creepy old guys managing boy bands, he got lucky and stumbled on some real talent.

Were Sam or Britney to commit some crime, like (just as an example) get a DUI.. or 3, do you think they would hire Blair Berk?  Laura Wassdashian is painfully transparent on insta, you can see who follows her - I think she asked Courtney Love to post that weird video then asked her to take it down, they follow each other and their kids (as well as Depp's) attended the same private school.

[RebellionSparkles]

On 6/25/2022 at 12:13 PM, Mx_Defying said:

Also, Streisand reported to the court in 2008 that Britney was missing HALF of her money. Reportedly, Lynne & Jamie notified the IRS. I have not found additional references to this. 

 

I've looked far and wide for more information on the IRS issue and audit. I'm not sure if the statements about Britney missing $40M-$60M are credible. If these statements are true, I'd speculate that the Spears are who has it and those $50M mortgages in Louisiana are related.

But we have no credible source on money being stolen from B or any info on the IRS audit.

Streisand said her net worth was $40M. But i think it was some tabloid that said she lost $60M...this could have all been part of the narrative to get B in the CON.

 

[Ghoulia]

50 minutes ago, momoncourt said:

this would be logical if Britney was a totally stable and non-isolated adult.  She went from working through her childhood into the Larry Rudolph era who I'm sure goes way back with all these people.  When she hires her own attorney it's a court appointment.  Blair Berk defended Kanye for doing some kind of ... Kanye antic, while he was with Kim Kardashian, and at this point we could just call Laura Wasser "Laura Wasser-Kardashian" her dad handled Kris's divorce, she goes to their white parties handles all the kids divorces (except Rpb who she sticks on her associate Erica Lubans).  It is totally on-brand for Laura to haul random people in that make it so high net worth people are stuck in a legal tangle for years, if minors were not at stake that would be her business.

My spidey sense is telling me that this hole in Blair berks husbands resume holds some clues other than Pepsi, Rudolf would always sign his clients with Pepsi - never Coke and this was height of soda wars.  I worked in music in that era and Rudolf was one of those creepy old guys managing boy bands, he got lucky and stumbled on some real talent.

Were Sam or Britney to commit some crime, like (just as an example) get a DUI.. or 3, do you think they would hire Blair Berk?  Laura Wassdashian is painfully transparent on insta, you can see who follows her - I think she asked Courtney Love to post that weird video then asked her to take it down, they follow each other and their kids (as well as Depp's) attended the same private school.

I've been trying to dig up something on Rudolph from his days with Lou Pearlman and Barry Hankerson. I haven't been able to find anything in particular, but I swear Larry was learning how not to get caught from the sleaziest in the industry.  Toni Braxton ended up bankrupt and having to sell her Grammys in 1998. JoJo was trapped in her contracts by Dina LaPolt and Barry Hankerson and sued them in 2013.

Edit - including @Applejack's post connecting the Jeryls, MJ, and Dina LaPolt. Mostly so I remember where I found the connection 

 

 

Edited June 26, 2022 by Ghoulia

[Steel Magnolia]

2 hours ago, Ghoulia said:

Question: How good of an actor is Jamie?

 

February 2, 2008

https://www.tampabay.com/archive/2008/02/02/with-britney-in-hospital-her-family-takes-drastic-steps-to-stop-her-spiral/

Just as Spears' immediate family was taking charge of her life, Sam Lutfi, the man seen es***ting her about town and sometimes speaking on her behalf, was removed from the picture with a restraining order. A message left on Lutfi's cell phone seeking comment was not immediately returned.

James Spears' eyes grew teary when he was named conservator of his daughter. He and an attorney, Andrew Wallet, were named conservators of the estate. The parents sat with attorney Blair Berk throughout the hearing, smiling and embracing after the announcement.

 

James grew teary at the end of this scene, too.

An Oscar-worthy performance.

So Berk was at the Feb. 1, 2008 hearing.

That one's going in the Timeline.

[RebellionSparkles]

5 hours ago, Steel Magnolia said:

Britney's 2010 attempt at escaping from the CON...

Which thread did we discuss that in?

The timing of these stories is now possibly starting to make more sense:

Sept. 10, 2010 - In an “exclusive” article titled “Britney's Ex-Friend Accused of Psychotic Stalking,” TMZ reports that actor Samuel Barth has obtained a temporary restraining order against Sam Lutfi. Court documents allege that Lutfi developed such an obsession toward Barth that he hacked into his email, Facebook and Twitter accounts and set out on a campaign to terrorize and vilify Barth's mother and other relatives. TMZ omits that Barth’s attorney is Blair Berk.

Sept. 11, 2010 - In an “exclusive” article titled “FBI Probing Britney Spears Former Pal & Manager Sam Lufti,” Radaronline reports that the FBI is investigating Sam Lutfi for gaining access to actor Samuel Barth's email accounts, Twitter and Facebook accounts. “Lutfi also did the same thing to Samuel's mother Deborah's email and even impersonated her to friends and family in electronic communications,” claims a source familiar with the investigation. “The FBI is actively investigating all text messages, email, Twitter and Facebook accounts that were compromised by Lutfi." Radaronline omits that Barth’s attorney is Blair Berk.

Conservatee abuse expense - September 2010

[RebellionSparkles]

7 minutes ago, RebellionSparkles said:

Conservatee abuse expense - September 2010

There is a pattern of SJB Trust expenses showing up in the accountings around times Britney was reportedly put on lithium against her will.

[Steel Magnolia]

1 hour ago, RebellionSparkles said:

Conservatee abuse expense - September 2010

I wonder why that firm was chosen?

"Barger & Wolen was established in 1976 and is a commercial law firm that primarily serves the insurance industry. The firm's practice areas include insurance industry litigation and regulation, reinsurance, business and commercial litigation, corporate and transactional law, employment law, real estate, banking and wealth management. The firm is headquartered in Los Angeles, California with additional offices in San Francisco, Newport Beach, New York, Sacramento and London. For more information, visit: www.bargerwolen.com/"

and

"Hinshaw & Culbertson LLP, a national law firm with 460 lawyers in 22 offices around the country and Barger & Wolen LLP, a California-based law firm with 45 attorneys in six offices, announced today they will join forces. The merger creates one of the largest insurance law practices in the United States with 120 full-time attorneys dedicated to providing legal counsel to companies that shape the insurance and financial services industries."

https://www.hinshawlaw.com/newsroom-news-363.html

EDIT:

The 2010 roster:

https://web.archive.org/web/20100605110116/https://www.bargerwolen.com/attorneys/location

[Steel Magnolia]

1 hour ago, RebellionSparkles said:

Conservatee abuse expense - September 2010

And conveniently, look what else was going on that same month...

September 2010:

Sept. 10, 2010 - In an “exclusive” article titled “Britney's Ex-Friend Accused of Psychotic Stalking,” TMZ reports that actor Samuel Barth has obtained a temporary restraining order against Sam Lutfi. Court documents allege that Lutfi developed such an obsession toward Barth that he hacked into his email, Facebook and Twitter accounts and set out on a campaign to terrorize and vilify Barth's mother and other relatives. TMZ omits that Barth’s attorney is Blair Berk.

Sept. 11, 2010 - In an “exclusive” article titled “FBI Probing Britney Spears Former Pal & Manager Sam Lufti,” Radaronline reports that the FBI is investigating Sam Lutfi for gaining access to actor Samuel Barth's email accounts, Twitter and Facebook accounts. “Lutfi also did the same thing to Samuel's mother Deborah's email and even impersonated her to friends and family in electronic communications,” claims a source familiar with the investigation. “The FBI is actively investigating all text messages, email, Twitter and Facebook accounts that were compromised by Lutfi." Radaronline omits that Barth’s attorney is Blair Berk.

Sept. 21, 2010 - Bryan Spears resigns as Co-Trustee of the SJB Revocable Trust. 

Sept. 30, 2010 - Ivan Taback, acting as Trustee of the SJB Revocable Trust, petitions the probate court to change the investment strategy of the Trust to mirror that of the estate so as to go forth "as a unified whole."

[Steel Magnolia]

And now this entry hits differently...

Late Nov. 2009 - Lawyer Bryan Freedman discovers Sam Lutfi is corresponding with someone "from opposing parties" and drops him as a client in the lawsuit against Britney and her parents.

[momoncourt]

pardon if this has already been posted but note the mention that berks name is often removed from media, clicking through articles from 07-09 I notice that there have been corrections, links removed, etc.  These are the exact same people who were involved with the depp media circus.

 

https://breatheheavy.wordpress.com/2010/09/11/media-omits-blair-berk-from-case-against-sam-lutfi/

 

I can say at least Berk knows she's a "bad guy" and doesn't try to play a "disso queen" like her ho friends.

[Ghoulia]

47 minutes ago, Steel Magnolia said:

And conveniently, look what else was going on that same month...

September 2010:

Sept. 10, 2010 - In an “exclusive” article titled “Britney's Ex-Friend Accused of Psychotic Stalking,” TMZ reports that actor Samuel Barth has obtained a temporary restraining order against Sam Lutfi. Court documents allege that Lutfi developed such an obsession toward Barth that he hacked into his email, Facebook and Twitter accounts and set out on a campaign to terrorize and vilify Barth's mother and other relatives. TMZ omits that Barth’s attorney is Blair Berk.

Sept. 11, 2010 - In an “exclusive” article titled “FBI Probing Britney Spears Former Pal & Manager Sam Lufti,” Radaronline reports that the FBI is investigating Sam Lutfi for gaining access to actor Samuel Barth's email accounts, Twitter and Facebook accounts. “Lutfi also did the same thing to Samuel's mother Deborah's email and even impersonated her to friends and family in electronic communications,” claims a source familiar with the investigation. “The FBI is actively investigating all text messages, email, Twitter and Facebook accounts that were compromised by Lutfi." Radaronline omits that Barth’s attorney is Blair Berk.

Sept. 21, 2010 - Bryan Spears resigns as Co-Trustee of the SJB Revocable Trust. 

Sept. 30, 2010 - Ivan Taback, acting as Trustee of the SJB Revocable Trust, petitions the probate court to change the investment strategy of the Trust to mirror that of the estate so as to go forth "as a unified whole."

I have very few documents from this time period. Maybe that would help fill in some of the blanks?

[Steel Magnolia]

3 hours ago, RebellionSparkles said:

Conservatee abuse expense - September 2010

At the end of this document there is a second document titled "Order Re: Accounting Format." It refers to a report from Samuel Ingham from August 29, 2011 requesting a new accounting format. James and Wallet appear to respond by creating the new term "Net Cash."

Do we have access to Ingham's report? Or do we know what provoked him to file it?

[Ghoulia]

13 minutes ago, Steel Magnolia said:

At the end of this document there is a second document titled "Order Re: Accounting Format." It refers to a report from Samuel Ingham from August 29, 2011 requesting a new accounting format. James and Wallet appear to respond by creating the new term "Net Cash."

Do we have access to Ingham's report? Or do we know what provoked him to file it?

Idk but there are some interesting questions on this minute order from December 2010 regarding financials.  

[Ghoulia]

Here are some more 2010 docs. https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1ZXWz0xTnUZ-d_RbfSMCmfMctg_ESpm9u?usp=sharing

[Steel Magnolia]

25 minutes ago, Ghoulia said:

Idk but there are some interesting questions on this minute order from December 2010 regarding financials.  

Would it be accurate to assume that Ingham is asking these questions?

Who else would be asking them?

It's not like any other party would advocate for Britney. 

[Ghoulia]

13 minutes ago, Steel Magnolia said:

Would it be accurate to assume that Ingham is asking these questions?

Who else would be asking them?

It's not like any other party would advocate for Britney. 

Britney was actually present for this hearing!  Was it her?

[Ghoulia]

There's another minute order on the account current from 12/15/2010. https://drive.google.com/file/d/1Pb24lFXZya5E0L0yx7r8cbJoldvTBm56/view?usp=sharing

Ingham DID file something on 11/19/2010 regarding the financials from 4/27-11/7/2010.

And I don't think they expected or wanted Ingham there!  "IN PRO PER" appears after his name.

Spoiler

 

[Steel Magnolia]

7 minutes ago, Ghoulia said:

Britney was actually present for this hearing!  Was it her?

It looks like the questions were asked on 03/16/10.

Was she at that one?

[Ghoulia]

32 minutes ago, Steel Magnolia said:

It looks like the questions were asked on 03/16/10.

Was she at that one?

I don't think so. 

waiver of notice (not sure if this is for the March 16 hearing?) https://drive.google.com/file/d/1KlNH2ZBIcUm3XE7Yq2_TuhK-ELsKok5E/view?usp=sharing

Tarlow & Berk 2009 fees approved - pg 2 here https://drive.google.com/file/d/1Aq0KyTqounROsKu-vdJPjyW7Z3qulF2f/view?usp=sharing