Britney Spears has just lost a long-running battle to remove her father as conservator in an attempt to reclaim her freedom.
For the last 12 years, pop icon Britney Spears has been under the control of her father, who has been acting as her legal guardian and conservator.
On Tuesday, Los Angeles Judge Brenda Penny refused Britney’s motion to remove her father, Jamie Spears, as her conservator. But she did approve the singer’s wishes to appoint a third party, the Bessemer Trust, as a co-conservator.
In 2008, a court ordered Jamie Spears to be the conservatorship of Britney after a string of mental issues that saw her shave her head and hit a reporter with an umbrella. The conservatorship was intended as a way to protect the singer, who was in a fragile mental state, but over the years claims have been made that the arrangement with her father has been violating her human rights.
In court statements, Britney said she felt “very afraid” of her father and vowed that she wouldn’t perform again until the conservatorship was lifted.
“My client has informed me that she is afraid of her father,” Britney’s lawyer reportedly said. “She will not perform again if her father is in charge of her career.”
She’s how old????
— Michael Sexton (@Michael60142981) November 11, 2020
Under the conservatorship, Jamie Spears has total control over her estate, finances, and whether she sees her children. Her father also has control over many of her career decisions, such as touring and management.
There have also been claims that her father’s rule has been draconian, stripping Britney of basic freedoms, restricting visitors, and limiting communication with her doctors.
https://twitter.com/sesmith/status/1326732833805672448
Britney expressed her frustration in court, explaining that her father had been making decisions without informing her. She said as a “high functioning conservatee”, she should at least be notified when her father makes changes to her career. However, her father’s defence claimed that these allegations were hearsay, and there was “absolutely no evidence” to support them.
Judge Penny did say she would consider future requests to suspend or remove him, which Britney Spears’ lawyers have said they would file.
