On Wednesday, Britney Spears’ attorney filed a motion rejecting a request by her father, Jamie Spears, in Los Angeles Superior Court. The singer’s attorney requested the case of her conservatorship to be sealed.
According to the Los Angeles Times, the singer’s court-appointed attorney, Samuel D. Ingham III, wrote it is far from a conspiracy theory or a joke. He said that the filing is because of James’ aggressive use of the sealing procedure over the years. The attorney claims he did that to reduce the amount of meaningful information made available to the public.
Britney’s conservatorship case was sealed all these years at the request of her father. According to the report, the filing asked the court to open the singer’s conservatorship case to the public. However, Jamie Spears has said that the case is family business and it should remain private.
The attorney also wrote that the public has an interest in knowing how its court system operates. Further citing the California institution, Samuel wrote, “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.”
He also wrote that the sealing motion is for Britney’s protection. She herself opposes this effort by her father to keep her legal struggle hidden away in the closet as a family secret.
Britney has been under her father, Homie Spears legal guardianship since 2008. This comes after her public breakdown. He became the sole conservator for Britney after attorney Andrew Wallet resigned from his co-conservatorship.
The singer’s father is recovering from the treatment for a ruptured colon. Britney suspended her Las Vegas residency and went on to check herself into a health facility for a month-long stay.
#FreeBritney Movement
Fans are speculating that Britney has been trying to communicate that she wants to escape. People believe she is trying to send a message via her Instagram. Because of which #FreeBritney movement resurfaced when fans secretly asked Britney to wear pink or black if she is in trouble. The singer was then seen dancing in pink shorts with black polka dots. This started the conspiracy theories about Britney being held as a hostage.
Britney attended a court hearing last year over her conservatorship with both her parents. The singer was ordered to undergo a 730 expert evaluation. In September last year, #FreeBritney campaigners gathered outside a court in downtown Los Angeles. They arrived for the conservatorship but the results of the hearing remain unclear.
However, because of the filings earlier this week, Samuel says the conservatorship is “voluntary”. He also revealed that the singer is “strongly opposed” to her father persisting as the individual conservator.
“Britney strongly believes it is consistent not only with her personal best interests but also with good public policy generally that the decision to appoint a new conservator of her estate to be made in as open and transparent a manner as possible,” Ingham wrote.
The hitmaker’s mother is said to have filed the document to the Los Angeles County Courts in the hope of regaining some control of her daughter’s money. Britney’s father stepped down from her conservatorship. He wanted to hand it over because of her ongoing health issues.
The judge approved Jamie’s request and handed it over Britney’s longtime care manager Jodi Montgomery, as her new conservatory. #FreeBritney, the fan-driven movement urges for Britney to be freed. Due to the conservatorship, she cannot herself control many aspects of her day-to-day life.
Britney’s mother supported the #FreeBritney movement by liking a few of its posts. She claimed that Britney’s team was ‘deleting positive comments on her Instagram post and leaving negative ones to keep up the illusion that she needs help!’
However, the court has allowed Jamie Spears to be paid around $130,000 annually by his daughter’s estate for his role as her conservator. According to court documents, the highest expense of Britney’s estate in 2018 was her legal and conservator fees. That, in total, equaled to over $1.1 million for that year.
Britney’s attorneys believe the motion will be “aggressively contested by James Spears”. But they also state, “We are now at a point where the conservatorship must be changed substantially in order to reflect the major changes in her current lifestyle and her stated wishes.”
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