Britney Spears’ father files for immediate end to conservatorship
Britney Spears’s father has requested the “immediate termination” of the conservatorship he presided over that has controlled his daughter’s life for more than 13 years.
In new court documents, a lawyer for Jamie Spears stated: “Britney’s recent testimony and requests to take personal control of her estate and affairs have made clear that continuing the conservatorship is contrary to her desires.”
The statement continued: “Jamie sees no reason why the conservatorship should continue for any amount of time and asserts he has no interest in the conservatorship continuing.”
In June, the pop star gave explosive testimony to a Los Angeles court in which she alleged she had been held against her will in a psychiatric institution and denied agency over her reproductive rights and in her romantic relationships.
Since then, Spears has gained her own legal representation for the first time in the history of her conservatorship. Her lawyer has agitated for the end of the arrangement, and for those responsible in its management to face justice for “conservatorship abuse”.
Initially, Jamie Spears said there were “no grounds whatsoever” to remove him as conservator. He has since supported his daughter’s desire for the role to end. In September, judge Brenda Penny suspended him from overseeing the conservatorship. Spears said she was “on cloud nine” after his removal.
Jamie Spears’s latest application comes in the wake of him acquiring new legal representation. His former lawyer, Vivian Thoreen, stepped aside in October. His new attorney, Alex Weingarten, stated that Jamie’s request was unconditional – not subject to “a demand for releases or compensation” – and that he had “nothing to hide regarding his administration of Britney’s estate”.
The filing urged transparency on the matter of Spears’s conservatorship, which has attracted the support of human rights organisations and US politicians, and exposed how such arrangements might be open to exploitation.
It stated: “Jamie believes that every aspect of the conservatorship should be made available for public examination – not the targeted leaks and misinformation that have resulted in such tabloid fodder.”
The next hearing in Spears’s case, due on 9 November, will determine the future of her conservatorship. Last month, Spears said she was “very happy” that the end was almost here, but admitted she was “scared to do anything because I’m afraid I’ll make a mistake”.
Britney has not responded directly to her father’s latest application. In a now-deleted Instagram post, she wrote that her life had been a “family business before … it’s no longer that any more !!!! ”