It looks like our #FreeBritney agenda is taking a few steps back as Britney’s request to remove her father as sole conservator is yet to be enacted. InStyle reports that although Britney’s lawyer already filed the legal documents to drop Jamie Spears as Britney’s conservator, the hearing held yesterday was just a conference about Britney’s still unchanged conservatorship.
The same report says that there are still additional documents that Britney’s legal team needs to file in order for her request to be heard. Britney being deemed “mentally unwell” and unable to make her own decisions may also become a roadblock to approving her request over who will take over her conservatorship. Meanwhile, fans who are still adamant about Britney’s freedom are still holding #FreeBritney protests to show support.
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Originally posted on August 19, 2020
Britney Spears stans, rise! Britney herself is taking a step toward dropping her father, Jamie Spears, as the sole conservator of her estate. A conservator, according to The Judicial Branch of California, is a person who is legally allowed to make personal, financial and professional decisions for a conservatee. This legal arrangement is usually used to protect the elderly, people with mental disabilities and people in comas.
The Los Angeles Times reports that the pop star’s attorney, Samuel D. Ingham III, already filed the documents to enact Britney’s request to remove Jamie as conservator. Ingham writes, “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.”
For those who need a quick refresher on why Britney even has a conservator in the first place, let’s take it back to 2007, when Britney, bald and obviously distressed, had an infamous public breakdown that ended with her lashing out at paparazzi. During this time was when she lost custody of her two sons, went to rehab and was hospitalized twice for psychiatric evaluation.
The conservatorship was put in place and made permanent last 2008, when Britney was hospitalized. Since then, her father has been in control of her financial assets. The #FreeBritney campaign started in 2009, a year after the conservatorship was set in motion. It was helped along by a viral video entitled “Leave Britney Alone” where internet personality Chris Crocker pleaded with people to treat Britney as human in the midst of her breakdown. He also broke down why people should advocate to get Britney out of the conservatorship and be allowed to take control of her own life.
Recently, #FreeBritney has seen a resurgence, with fans speculating that Britney was sending them coded messages via her eccentric TikTok and Instagram posts. While Britney has posted on her Instagram that she’s just being her “authentic” self, people on the internet are still not convinced. Even Cher weighed in on the #FreeeBritney conversation with a thought-provoking question.
To replace Jamie as conservator, Britney has requested Jodi Montgomery, the conservator for her well-being and person, to also become the conservator of her estate and financial assets. Ingham writes, “Without in any way waiving her right to seek termination of this conservatorship in the future, Britney would like Ms. Montgomery’s appointment as conservator of her person to be made permanent. She strongly prefers to have a qualified corporate fiduciary appointed to serve (as conservator of her estate).”
While Britney has not explicitly said she wanted to be free of the guardianship of her conservators, she also did not state her reasons for requesting her father to be removed as such. Although our qualms about the life of the pop princess being controlled have yet to be debunked, we can at least be assured that Britney’s lawyers are listening to her requests and are working to make them happen.
Header photo screengrabbed from the “Slumber Party” official music video
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