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Britney Spears goes to court over conservatorship

You might remember earlier this year #FreeBritney was trending on social media with fans calling to free Britney Spears from her court-appointed conservatorship. Briney Spears’ father, Jamie Spears, is the sole-appointed conservator for his daughter that giving him the responsibility of making personal and professional decisions on his daughter’s behalf.

Spears is ‘strongly opposed’ to her father being her sole conservator and is requesting the California court to remove her father as her conservator. Spears’ attorney, Samuel D. Ingham III, wants to appoint the temporary licensed professional conservator, Jodi Montgomery, overseeing her protected case since September to become the permanent conservator of Spears’ personal affairs.

According to a statement written by Ingham III, this change in conservatorship reflects Spears’ wishes and current lifestyle changes. Spears’ expressed that she “strongly prefers” Montgomery to continue in that role before her appointment expires on August 22.

As of March 2019, Jamie Spears has managed his daughter’s estate since the co-conservator Andrew M. Wallet resigned from his position. Spears disclosed that she prefers to face a “qualified corporate fiduciary” to serve as her conservator.

Spears is also facing a status hearing is scheduled for today, coinciding with a #FreeBritney rally in downtown L.A. outside the Stanley Mosk Courthouse to demand an end to the conservatorship completely. Spears has been under legal guardianship of her father, care manager, and lawyers since 2008 after she was committed to a psychiatric ward twice.

A conservatorship is a rare legal arrangement meant to protect individuals who are unable to care for themselves which including making rational decisions and negotiating business on their behalf. Jamie Spears has the power of his daughter’s conservation to conduct business on her behalf, control who she can see, and sell her property as he chooses. The conservator agreement also requires logging a spending report of all Britney Spears’ purchases that is sent to the court on an annual basis.

Since her mental decline in 2008, Spears has started performing again and recovering to perform again. Spears went onto release a 2016 album “Glory” and in May released a single “Mood Ring” that was unreleased from the 2016 album.

Though things started to seem stable for Spears, in April she accidentally burned down her home gym that proved to be unsafe for the mother of two. Spears was able to secure a Las Vegas residency but started to cancel shows in 2018 and eventually canceled the residency last year. Shortly after canceling the Las Vegas residency, Spears checked into a mental health facility after revealing her father was sick.