Free Britney Spears movement dealt crushing blow as judge decides conservatorship will continue
Britney Spears. (Axelle/Bauer-Griffin/FilmMagic)
The conservatorship which Britney Spears has lived under for more than a decade was extended until September 2021, a Los Angeles, US, court ruled Wednesday (16 December).
In a devastating blow to the Free Britney movement, the complex legal arrangement that Britney sought to substantially change will remain as it is with only minor changes, Entertainment Tonight reported.
The move to stretch Spears’ conservatorship even further from February to 3 September next year was made at a virtual hearing attended by her father Jamie, mother Lynne and attorney Samuel Ingham. A review in Jamie’s handling of Britney 2019 assets was also postponed to next year.
Jamie will remain co-conservator of Britney’s assets as a result, a post which seems him manage, among other things, the “Toxic” hitmaker’s finances and mental wellbeing.
Jamie and Britney Spears have not spoken since August amid legal battle over conservatorship
But it is an outcome that Britney attempted to squash earlier this year. Her legal counsel claimed that reinstalling Jamie as her conservator would lead to “loss and injury” and that she was “afraid” of her father, adding that the 39-year-old would never perform again as long as Jamie is involved.
The court cases have torn the Spears household up, Jamie alleged this week. The 68-year-old claimed he and Britney have not spoken since August and were on “good terms” before she sprung legal filings through her attorney to remove him as her conservator.
While judges moved to keep Jamie on for the foreseeable future, they did rejig the 12-year-old arrangement as per Britney’s request – making Bessemer Trust, the wealth management company that Britney wants to solely manager her, a co-conservator.
It comes amid the Free Britney movement, a grassroots movement set up by a dedicated wing of Britney’s fanbase whose members have sought to pack the streets outside courthouses while analysing the singer’s Instagram – each post, they say, a cryptic siren call for help.
“Britney has had a rough year when it comes to her conservatorship,” a source told the outlet earlier this month
“While she appreciates what her father has done for her in the past, she feels she’s ready to take more control of her finances and healthcare, and it’s been an endless struggle.”
