updated 7th July 2021
Let's catch up about Britney’s hearing. Her hearing on the 23rd June has publicly brought to light some devastating issues about Britney’s conservatorship. If you haven’t seen our latest blog post, I’ll give you a quick run through of what the hearing was about.
A conservatorship is when a legal guardian- in this case Jamie Spears- takes control over someone's estate, finances and personal affairs because of physical or mental health deterioration. Britney has been under a conservatorship for over 12 years since her public breakdown which resulted in her being hospitalised. She is under a co-conservatorship between her father, Jamie Spears and Bessemer Trust.
Britney has spoken at hearings before but it has been sealed in court proceedings, meaning this is the first we are hearing about the ins and outs of the conservatorship arrangement. Jamie Spears took a step back from being her health conservator because of his own health problems and would like to take control again, however, Britney is objecting.
Britney Spears' conservatorship hearing has called for legal reform in the States. Conservatorships are normally only for people with mental impairments such as dementia, as they don’t have the mental capacity to make their own decisions. However, for Britney it was put into place after her breakdown in 2008.
The scoop of the hearing is harrowing. Britney spoke out about her conservatorship in court citing that she is traumatised and cries every day “I just want my life back”. They unwillingly put her on lithium, a potent drug used to control bipolar disorder. As a 39-year-old woman she has no control over her own body, to the extent that she cannot even have children without the consent of her father. I don’t know about you, but this is giving me mega Handmaid’s Tale vibes. Britney told the court that she wants to have more children with her long-term boyfriend and also marry him, but has been refused by her father. She has an IUD fitted to stop her conceiving, also implanted against her wishes. It prompts the question, is this conservatorship really in Britney’s best interest?
The singer mentioned she felt she had no choice in performing. “I was on tour in 2018. I was forced to do. My management said if I don’t do this tour I will have to find an attorney, and by contract my own management could sue me if I didn’t follow through with the tour.” Britney is making her team and family thousands of dollars every year but has no say over her body, personal life or even her music.
“It makes no sense whatsoever for the state of California to sit back and literally watch me with their own two eyes make a living for so many people and take so many people - trucks and buses- on the road with me and be told I’m not good enough. But I’m great at what I do. And I do not need people to control what I do and it’s enough, it makes no sense at all.”
She hasn’t had a choice over her own attorney, at the most recent hearing she requested to choose herself a new attorney.
Jamie Lynn Spears has been quiet about Britney’s conservatorship until recently, stating that she didn’t want to talk about Britney’s conservatorship until Britney could talk about it herself. “Maybe I didn’t support the way the public may have liked me to with a hashtag on a public platform, but I can assure you I have supported my sister long before there was a hashtag and I’ll support her long after… My sister knows I love and support her. That’s the only person I owe anything to. I am not my family; I am my own person; I am speaking for myself.”
Jamie Spears is asking the court to investigate the claims that Britney has made, calling the conservatorship abusive. He has denied that he is responsible for her not being able to have kids or get married. He has routinely denied any of these accusations saying that he wants the best for his daughter. This has come out after the news that Britney herself rang 911 the night before her hearing to report herself as a victim of conservatorship abuse. The details of what she said in the phone call have been sealed because of the ongoing court proceedings.
Britney requested temporary conservator Jodi Montgomery become her sole conservator, taking her father off of the conservatorship. The judge has refused for Jamie Spears to be removed as conservator, however, Jodie Montgomery has refused to step down.
Recently, Britney’s court-appointed lawyer Sam Ingham has asked to resign from the conservatorship. This comes as Britney announced she could not choose her own lawyer, and would like to be able to. Britney’s testimony also promoted the resignation of wealth management Bessemer Trust as co-conservator, stating that they thought Britney was in a voluntary conservatorship. Manager Larry Rudolph has also resigned after over 2 and ½ years of no contact with the superstar, citing “I believe it is in Britney’s best interest for me to resign from her team as my professional services are no longer needed.”
Many celebrities have shown their support for Britney on Twitter. Mariah Carey was one of the first to show her support for the singer on the day of her hearing: