Spears wins right to new lawyer in battle to remove dad
AN emotional Britney Spears scored a victory in her bid to end her father’s control of her affairs on Wednesday, as a judge ruled she could appoint her own lawyer to help end a guardianship that the pop superstar slammed as “cruelty”.
Spears phoned back into a Los Angeles court, three weeks after her first explosive testimony in which she pleaded with a judge to free her from the years-long conservatorship ramped up worldwide interest in the case.
Rosengart told AFP on the sidelines of the hearing that he would file a petition “as soon as possible” to remove Jamie Spears as the conservator — and suggested the singer’s father should simply step down.
“Why is Mr Spears not voluntarily stepping down?” Rosengart asked.
“He does not belong in this conservatorship anymore. And we believe he should voluntarily step down immediately.
“I’m angry and I will go there,” the singer said, even telling the court at one point she thought “they were trying to kill me”.
Following the judge’s ruling, Spears posted a video of herself performing cartwheels on Instagram, with the caption: “Coming along, folks ... coming along !!!!! New with real representation today ... I feel GRATITUDE and BLESSED !!!! ”
The following year, a California court placed her under a unique legal guardianship largely governed by her father, Jamie.
But in January 2019, she abruptly announced she was suspending her performances until further notice.
Spears said she had been made to perform shows under threat of lawsuit, and that she was not even allowed to get changed in privacy or drive her own car.
After that testimony Samuel Ingham, the lawyer appointed by court following her breakdown, asked to step down from his role.
Penny accepted both those resignations Wednesday.