Britney Spears doesn't want her father to be the conservator of her estate at all, but her petition was denied.
39-year-old Britney Spears has been fighting her conservatorship, which was solely controlled by her father James "Jamie" Spears, 68, for years now. He has been in charge of her career and finances since 2008, and now the legal fight between the two is back in the spotlight thanks to the New York Times documentary, Framing Britney Spears. More recently, Britney had a small victory when her father's objection to how her conservatorship will be delegated was denied.
In 2020, the 39-year-old pop star filed a petition with the court to remove her father as the conservator and to place a financial institution as the sole conservator over her estate, as per NBC News. Her attorney, Samuel D. Ingham III, had argued that she was afraid of Jamie. The Womanizer singer also preferred it if a professional financial institution takes over her estate.
However, Los Angeles Superior Court Judge Brenda Penny denied her petition but appointed Bessemer Trust as a co-conservator along with James Spears. In the latest tussle, James Spears' attorney, Vivian Thoreen, said that Jamie should have the power to delegate investment powers. Britney's attorney argued that since it was a co-conservatorship, Jamie's powers as sole conservator, appointed by the court in 2019, would be reduced. However, the 68-year-old's lawyer said that his powers should be consistent with the 2019 order that gave him sole conservatorship.
"There's no intent or desire to create unequal power or decision-making as between the two, your honor," Vivian argued. "This is a way to make it consistent and to not take away powers that Mr. Spears as a conservator had."
Britney's lawyer Samuel had raised concerns that James was likely going to delegate the investment powers to a third party. Jamie and Bessemer Trust will be working together on a budget and investment proposal for Britney's estate after the next hearing. "My client looks forward to working with Bessemer to continue an investment strategy in the best interests of his daughter," Vivian said in a statement. "My client Jamie Spears has diligently and professionally carried out his duties as one of Britney’s conservators, and his love for his daughter and dedication to protecting her is clearly apparent to the court," the statement said.
The Oops!... I Did It Again singer has expressed the desire to leave the conservatorship for years and her fans have used social media to popularize the #FreeBritney movement. This journey began in 2008 when Britney struggled with mental health issues and was hospitalized as well, as per CBS.
When she was released, a Los Angeles court made her father's temporary conservatorship permanent. Jamie and another co-conservator used to have the power over her finances and medical decisions. The 68-year-old believes that his being in power was working for her. His legal team had said previously that he helped her estate go from being in debt to having a valuation of more than $60 million.
In November 2020, his legal team said Jamie has worked hard to restore Britney to "good health, reunite her with her children, and revive her career." However, the Toxic singer has refused to work as long as Jamie is in-charge.
Kevin Federline, the father of her kids Sean and Jayden, has said that the conservatorship affects their children as well. "[Kevin] of course feels that it’s always an extra layer of security to maintain structure and stability in anyone’s home that there’s a third party there whose job it is to see that everything is organized and orderly," Kevin's lawyer told ET.
For now, Britney's ex-husband gets to have the kids longer, even though they co-parent. Their father "enjoys greater custody than the order would provide for but it’s a timeshare that he and Britney have agreed to."
This happened after Jamie reportedly abused one of the children. Kevin and his lawyer had also gotten a temporary restraining order for Sean and Jayden against Jamie after an alleged incident on August 24, 2019. Apart from this, the father of Britney's kids has been quiet about the legal proceedings.
However, her current partner, Sam Asghari, made some damning claims against Jamie. "Now it's important for people to understand that I have zero respect for someone trying to control our relationship and constantly throwing obstacles our way," wrote Asghari, 27, as per People. "In my opinion, Jamie is a total d---."
References:
https://www.cbsnews.com/news/britney-spears-conservatorship/
Cover image source: Getty Images | Photo by (L) Getty Images staff, (R) Alberto E. Rodriguez
