Britney continues the legal battle to claim back the control of her life and fortune that she hasn't had for the past twelve years. It all started back in 2008 after the pop singer went through several mental breakdowns and the court put her estate, financial and personal assets under the conservatorship of her father and a lawyer.
Today, though, Britney stands strong and is no longer willing to give her dad the power to control her life. She has now asked a California court to end her father's role as a conservator and according to the court papers, her lawyer Samuel D Ingham III said “Britney is strongly opposed to James continuing as sole conservator of her estate.” Instead, she prefers a "qualified corporate fiduciary" to manage the business affairs of her estate.
Many believe the star has been controlled and manipulated, which has fueled the #FreeBritney movement. More than 256K people have signed a petition to let Britney have her own lawyer, and the court hearing is set to continue on August 19.
On Tuesday, Britney Spears turned to court to keep her father from reasserting sole control over her life
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The court gave Britney's dad power over her major life decisions from 2008 until 2019, but she asked not to return him to the role of conservator of her person
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The court document says that "Britney is strongly opposed to James' return as conservator of her person"
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To find out more about the #FreeBritney movement, Bored Panda spoke to one of Britney’s avid supporters and active member of the movement, Bruno. Bruno proudly calls himself a part of #BritneyArmy and he has been actively advocating for the pop star’s right to her life and fortune on social media.
“The #FreeBritney movement started back in 2008 when some fans started speculating Britney was trying to get in touch with lawyers saying she was threatened by her father who would tell her he would take her kids away,” Bruno said. At that time, however, many didn’t see enough proof to believe the allegations.
James Spears's role of the conservatorship even gave him power over Britney's personal life, including her teenage sons
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The court documents also revealed that the pop star is not likely to perform again in the near future
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Britney has almost never spoken about the conservatorship matters in public, but documents gave a rare glimpse of Britney Spears’ own wishes in her life, which has been under control for the past 12 years
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It all changed back in March 2019 when “a paralegal claiming to work in an office that was dealing with her conservatorship left a voicemail on the fan podcast 'britneysgram.'”
In this voicemail, Bruno continued, “the paralegal claimed Britney wasn’t being seen out anymore because they had locked her up against her will in a mental health facility since January, which is something the conservator is not allowed to do, nor could the facility accept an adult against their will.”
It caused a stir on social media, but many people still remained skeptical as to whether such serious allegations were true.
However, Bruno said that “the fact Britney Spears herself is now asking the court to remove her father completely from the conservatorship is everything I needed to know from Britney to keep fighting by her side.”
This comes months after the fans showed their concerns over Britney's health and safety
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At this point, Bruno said he’s trying not to speculate on anything, and whether the involved parties have committed is not up to him and the #FreeBritney supporters, but to the court of California. “I hope a full investigation of all the parties involved takes place and if there was crime or abuse, they hold them responsible,” he concluded.
More people expressed their concerns in the comments
Recently, this person took it upon themself to try to explain how her dad has been controlling her life all this time
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The late 2000s were a difficult time for Britney. She was spotted driving her SUV with her son Sean on her lap and not strapped in a car seat. She shaved her head and was seen hitting a photographer's car with an umbrella. She also went through a divorce and, after refusing to relinquish custody of her children, locked herself in a room with her child only to be taken out on a stretcher and hospitalized for appearing to be under the influence of an unknown substance. In 2008, Britney made several trips to rehab and was committed to a psychiatric hospital at least two times.
Eventually, her father, Jamie Spears was granted oversight of her estate and health, which includes everything from negotiating business opportunities to restricting visitors, while attorney Andrew Wallet was assigned to help manage the singer's assets.
Britney Spears' financial documents revealed that as of 2018, she had a net worth of $59 million. That year, she spent $400,000 on living expenses and $66,000 on household supplies. She also spent $1.1 million on her legal and conservator fees that year, and her father reportedly took $128,000 of that.
Britney's fans thought a sign that not everything was going well was when attorney Andrew Wallet stepped down as the co-conservator. "Conservatorship is engaged in numerous ongoing business activities requiring immediate attention,” he wrote in court filings, adding that it would be in Britney's best interest if his resignation were accepted swiftly. He didn't provide a specific reason for his resignation.
According to Wallet, the singer would have suffered “substantial detriment, irreparable harm, and immediate danger” if he didn’t step down.
Law experts, however, point out that while conservatorships can be corrupted, there is probably good reason it still stands. “The fact that she’s been under conservatorship for a dozen years should tell you something about the state of her mental impairment and her vulnerability,” lawyer Adam Streisand, who specializes in high-profile wealth disputes told Los Angeles Times. “The courts will do everything they can to ensure that a person is not conserved unless they really, really need to be.”
Here’s what people had to say about the matter
