Britney Spears has welcomed public scrutiny of the conservatorship that was placed on her life and finances more than a decade ago. A court-appointed guardian has been in charge of her affairs since her public meltdown in 2008. The role has been filled by her father James Spears for the most part of the tenure. However, now the singer has submitted documents in Los Angeles to request changes to the management of her conservatorship, which was up for extension on August 22. She has requested a qualified corporate fiduciary to take over her estate in place of her father.
The documents filed to the Superior Court of California in Los Angeles, states, “Britney is strongly opposed to James' return as conservator of her person. At this point in her life when she is trying to regain some measure of personal autonomy, Britney welcomes and appreciates the informed support of her many fans. Britney herself is vehemently opposed to this effort by her father to keep her legal struggle hidden away in the closet as a family secret."
In a filing earlier this week, Britney had indicated that she was happy for the conservatorship to continue- calling it ‘voluntary’-but she no longer wants her father to be at the helm of her affairs. James and lawyer Andrew M Wallet were Britney's co-conservators from 2008 until the latter stepped down in 2019. James stepped down temporarily last year citing health concerns but retained control over her finances. During that period Jodi Montgomery had filled in for Britney’s personal affairs. Britney had wanted him to stay in the role and opposed her father’s return. In a new filing on Wednesday, she added that she wants wealth-management company called the Bessemer Trust, to oversee her $57.4 million fortune, a move that will push her father out permanently.
Her court-appointed lawyer, Samuel Ingham III said, “The moment that James obtained from this Court the power to handle Britney's affairs on her behalf, he surrendered a large measure of privacy as to the manner in which he exercises that power. Transparency is an essential component in order for this Court to earn and retain the public's confidence with respect to protective proceedings like this one. In this case, it is not an exaggeration to say that the whole world is watching."
James Spears aka Jamie Spears had previously called the fan-led #FreeBritney movement a ‘joke’. He had said last year, “I have to report every nickel and dime spent to the court every year. How the hell would I steal something?” However, Ingham challenged the idea in his latest court filing and said, “Britney's conservatorship has attracted an unprecedented level of scrutiny from mainstream media and social media alike. Far from being a conspiracy theory or a 'joke' as James reportedly told the media, in large part this scrutiny is a reasonable and even predictable result of James' aggressive use of the sealing procedure over the years to minimise the amount of meaningful information made available to the public.”
Mr Spears and his lawyers have routinely sought to have legal proceedings behind closed doors, arguing that the case involves private medical information, information about Britney’s children and trade secrets. However, Ingham argued that the strategy might have had ‘merits’ years ago when the pop musician was trying to restart her career but now the situation has changed. He wrote in the filings, “The sealing motion is supposedly being brought by her father to 'protect' Britney's interests, but she is adamantly opposed to it.”
A hearing on the conservatorship is scheduled for October. Last month, Judge Brenda Penny also extended the current version of the conservatorship until 1 February, 2021, in accordance with Spears' wishes.
(Source: BBC/People)
