Britney skipped court as her parents faced off at her conservatorship trial
#FreeBritney.
September 19, 2019 10:50 a.m. EST
September 22, 2019 11:15 p.m. EST
Britney Spears hasn't had control over her life in over a decade. She'll be 38 in December and many believe she's ready to be free from her father's care and responsible for her own well-being. A judge needs to be convinced of this but Jamie Spears is fighting to maintain that hold. And it seems his fighting paid off.Us Weekly reports that Jamie will continue to be his daughter's conservator. Britney skipped the hearing but her mom, Lynne Spears, was there on her behalf. If you recall, Jamie asked the court to "temporarily relinquish the powers of conservatorship," because of his health concerns. But that also happened around the time Britney's ex, Kevin Federline, ordered a restraining order against his former father-in-law after an argument between Jamie and his eldest grandson, Sean Preston, reportedly got heated and violent.Jodi Montgomery, the singer's current care manager, took over as conservator but the gig was only temporary with Jamie expected to resume his position in January 2020. According to the court documents, Jamie was ordered to send payments to Montgomery, which means that while Jodi technically has all the same power Jamie had as conservator, Brit's dad is still in charge of Britney's money. And that's not how Britney wanted things to go. A source told Us that the singer wanted her father "immediately" removed as conservator. Lynne doesn't want the job but "feels it's in Britney's best interests" if the conservator is a "neutral third party." Makes perfect sense—though finding someone neutral and trustworthy and not-at-all shady could be a tough ask."Jamie isn't opposed to being removed as conservator of Britney as the person, but will fight any attempt to remove him as conservator of her estate," a second insider told Us. "Britney's finances were in shambles before Jamie took over. She was approaching bankruptcy in 2007."But that was 12 years ago. Now, the singer is older and has made millions over the last years, but still doesn't have control over assets. Does she really need to have a legal guardianship, one that's designed to protect those who can't take care of themselves? Considering the $100-million empire she's built, her fans say no—and believe she's being exploited. Hence, the hashtag #FreeBritney.
The Los Angeles Times added that as conservator, Jamie earns $130,000 a year, which is paid out by Britney's vast estate. Because of their often-rocky relationship, fans wonder just how much of the role is about his daughter and how much is about himself.Fans gathered outside the courthouse on Wednesday, protesting that what Britney is enduring is unnecessary. The Daily Beast spoke to the hosts of the podcast Britney's Gram, which is where the #FreeBritney movement began, and learned some potentially disturbing news about Brit's conservatorship and maybe the real reason her residency was put on hiatus.A voicemail was left on the podcast's hotline, by an anonymous paralegal who worked with an attorney involved in Spears' conservatorship, and the message was troubling to say the least."Basically, Britney was in rehearsals for Domination. It came to Jamie's attention that Britney was not taking her medication as prescribed. She was missing a lot of doses and just full-on not taking them. So they got her to the doctor and the doctor said, 'OK, if you don’t want these medications, let’s get you on a new one.' She refused to take the new one. Jamie said, 'Either you take this medication or the show's off, and I'm pulling my support and you can't do it.' Britney did not follow Jamie's instructions, so he was true to his word—he pulled the show, he verbatim said, 'Blame it on my illness.' He even claimed that Britney did not willingly enter the wellness facility."Which only makes this video seem that much more contrived.
"It's an interesting case study," pop culture researcher Marc Brennan told the Times. "Here we have a 37-year-old woman strong enough to be in the public eye and perform, but is supposedly not strong enough to look after her own children and her money." Hmm, perhaps it's time for Brit to prove she doesn't need nor want the conservatorship. If she's ready.
