Britney Spears emphatically asks the courts to end her father’s control over her life for good
Britney Spears. (Axelle/Bauer-Griffin/FilmMagic)
Britney Spears, who for 12 years has been entangled in a complex conservatorship restricting her finances and estate, has reportedly asked for her father’s control over her to be ended for good.
According to a filing seen by The Blast, the pop princess’ legal counsel is seeking to overturn the legal arrangement long-overseen by Jamie Spears.
The 38-year-old’s lawyer, Samuel Ingham III, submitted the filing Monday (17 August) in which he said Spears now believes the conservatorship “must be changed substantially in order to reflect the major changes in her current lifestyle and her stated wishes”.
News that Spears is “strongly opposed” to having him return as the co-conservator of her person or her estate, the filing said, opening up a possibility that will no doubt be welcomed by the reignited #FreeBritney movement – the complete end of the conservatorship.
A conservatorship, also known as guardianship, is a legal proceeding usually sought out to protect the elderly, ill, or those with mental health conditions. Spears entered one after her public breakdown in 2008.
Britney Spears formally seeks to strip father of conservatorship role. Her lawyer expects a battle.
Some shifts in Spears’ life have prompted her to seek drastic change in the conservatorship, Ingham said. Among them is her “desire not to perform at this time”, following a four-year Las Vegas residency that ended in 2017.
In the filing, Ingham outlined that Spears is seeking to strip Jamie of the role and place put permanent control of her estate and finances in the hands of her temporary conservator Jodi Montgomery.
Britney Spears’ father, Jamie Spears leaves the Los Angeles County Superior courthouse on March 10, 2008. (VALERIE MACON/AFP via Getty Images)
Jamie stepped back from his role as Spears’ personal convertor – in which he oversaw her mental health and wellbeing – in 2019, a role he held for 11 years. He was replaced temporarily with Montgomery, a licensed professional conservator.
“Without in any way waiving her right to seek termination of this conservatorship in the future Britney would like Ms Montgomery’s appointment as conservator of her person to be made permanent,” Ingham explained.
In stonewalling Jamie entirely from the arrangement, Ingham said, Spears would instead rather “a qualified corporate fiduciary appointed to” manage her financial affairs and estate
Jamie gave a rare interview earlier this month, giving a harsh rebuke to the pleas and protests of the Free Britney movement by denouncing it completely. He called the campaign that aims to break Britney free “a joke”.
As a result, Ingham said he expects “any effort to achieve my client’s objectives as stated above will be aggressively contested by James”.
Ingham described how the arrangement is in its final phase. Breaking down its three phases, he said the first phase – “triage” – helped recuse the singer from “from a collapse, exploitation by predatory individuals and financial ruin”.
The second saw her comeback to “her position as a world-class entertainer,” leading into the final phase of a more toned-down public profile.
