Britney Spears’ father petitions to end her conservatorship
By Chloe Melas
Britney Spears’ fight to end her court-ordered conservatorship took an unexpected turn on Tuesday when her father and the conservator of her estate, Jamie Spears, filed a petition to end the arrangement.
In a court filing obtained by CNN on Tuesday, the elder Spears cited his daughter’s pleas at two separate court hearings over the summer in his request to terminate the 13-year conservatorship.
“Recent events related to this conservatorship have called into question whether circumstances have changed to such an extent that grounds for establishment of a conservatorship may no longer exist,” the filing states.
“Ms. Spears has told this Court that she wants control of her life back without the safety rails of a conservatorship. She wants to be able to make decisions regarding her own medical care, deciding when, where and how often to get therapy. She wants to control the money she has made from her career and spend it without supervision or oversight. She wants to be able to get married and have a baby, if she so chooses. In short, she wants to live her life as she chooses without the constraints of a conservator or court proceeding,” the petition reads in part.
“As Mr. Spears has said again and again, all he wants is what is best for his daughter. If Ms. Spears wants to terminate the conservatorship and believes that she can handle her own life, Mr. Spears believes that she should get that chance,” the filing said.
Mathew Rosengart, attorney for Britney Spears, called Tuesday’s development “vindication.”
“This filing represents another legal victory for Britney Spears — a massive one — as well as vindication for Ms. Spears,” Rosengart said in a statement to CNN. “It appears that Mr. Spears believes he can try to avoid accountability and justice, including sitting for a sworn deposition and answering other discovery under oath.”
Rosengart added that Britney Spears will “continue to explore all options.”
The elder Spears has served has conservator of his daughter’s estate since it was established in 2009. He was also the conservator of her person, overseeing her health and medical issues until he stepped aside in 2019. That’s when Jodi Montgomery was appointed the temporary conservator of Spears’ person.
During a hearing in July, Britney Spears said that she wanted to press charges against her father for “conservatorship abuse” and called the arrangement “f—ing cruelty.”
Jamie Spears stated in a previous court filing that he intends to step down as conservator.
Just last week, Rosengart called on Spears to do so immediately “before he is suspended.”
A previously scheduled hearing in the case is set for Sept. 29.
An earlier version of this story stated the court filing was obtained Wednesday. It has been corrected to state it was obtained Tuesday.
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