Finally, father moves to set Britney free
BRITNEY Spears’ emotive courtroom testimony to stop her father controlling her life sent shockwaves through the entertainment world.
Now it seems the 39-year-old singer is finally on the brink of being able to rip up the legal arrangement that has been in place since 2008.
Her father Jamie Spears has formally filed a petition to dissolve the conservatorship in a shock move after his daughter spent years fighting to have him removed from the role.
He said she is ‘entitled to have this court now seriously consider whether this... is no longer required’ just two months after she accused him of abusive behaviour. He said ‘recent events’ had called into question the need for a court to oversee her affairs.
Miss Spears’ lawyer Mathew Rosengart told People magazine it was a ‘massive legal victory’. He said: ‘Having exposed his misconduct and improper plan to hold his daughter hostage by trying to extract a multimillion dollar settlement, Mr Spears has now effectively surrendered. There is no settlement. To the extent Mr Spears believes he can try to avoid accountability and justice... he is incorrect and our investigation into financial mismanagement and other issues will continue.’
During a court hearing in June, Miss Spears alleged her day-to-day finances, medication and even birth control had been controlled.
She begged for emancipation, saying she wanted to have a baby and to marry boyfriend Sam Asghari but was unable to as she wasn’t allowed to remove her contraceptive device.
The singer of hits including Toxic said the conservatorship was an ‘oppressive and controlling tool’ which was being used ‘against’ her and she would not perform in public again while her father was ‘handling what I wear, say, do, or think.’
In a document filed in Los Angeles, Mr Spears, 69, said his daughter had recently ‘demonstrated a level of independence’. ‘All he wants is what is best for his daughter,’ it said.
Judge Brenda Penny will have to approve the move to end the conservatorship, which is when a guardian is appointed to manage the life of someone unable to make decisions for themselves. It was set up to oversee the singer’s £43million fortune amid concerns for her mental health.