Britney Spears petitions dad to quit as her conservator
Britney Spears, said by her lawyers to be chafing under the 12-year guardianship of her father, has filed an official petition seeking to have him removed as her conservator.
According to documents filed Tuesday in probate court in Los Angeles, the pop star requested the resignation of James “Jamie” Spears as her personal conservator.
She seeks to replace him with Jodi Montgomery, a state-appointed conservator who has temporarily acted as her personal conservator since her father relinquished the role in September 2019 amid health issues.
Britney Spears also reserved the right to petition for the permanent termination of her conservatorship under the state Probate Code.
In an attachment, her lawyer sought to ensure that Montgomery would have the power to make medical decisions, communicate with her doctors and have access to her medical records. She also would be able to limit Britney’s visitors with the exception of her lawyer, retain caretakers and security guards on a 24/7 basis, and prosecute civil harassment restraining orders deemed appropriate.
The petition does not make clear whether Britney Spears intends for Jamie Spears to retain his other role as conservator of her finances. His lawyers have argued to the probate court hearing the case that he has greatly improved her financial estate, now worth around $60 million.
But a separate document in the court file shows that Jamie Spears and Bessemer Trust, his co-conservator of her finances, will have the power to access all documents and records relating to her assets, and to take actions necessary to secure them, in addition to a host of other powers typically wielded by financial managers.
The petition to remove Jamie Spears may be a direct result of what his lawyer, Vivian Thoreen, said publicly last month in response to criticism on social media and in a new documentary about his daughter’s long conservatorship.
She said fans who accuse Jamie Spears of mistreating his daughter have it “so wrong.”
“(Jamie) would love nothing more than to see Britney not need a conservatorship,” Thoreen told CNN on Feb. 25. “Whether or not there is an end to the conservatorship really depends on Britney. If she wants to end her conservatorship, she can file a petition to end it.”
After public sentiment began building for the #Freebritney movement, and attacks on Jamie Spears mounted, Thoreen tried to advocate on behalf of her client.
“Like any parent, he doesn’t always see eye-to-eye on what Britney may want,” she told CNN. “But Jamie believes every single decision he has made has been in her best interest.”
USA TODAY has reached out to Thoreen for comment. Britney’s lawyer, Samuel Ingham, declined comment.