Since her infamous public burglary more than a decade ago, pop singer Britney Spears has lived in California under a court-approved conservatory, a complex legal arrangement designed to oversee her personal well-being and finances.
Directed by much of the singer’s father, James Spears, the conservatory has functioned mostly from public view, although fans and even some family members have occasionally expressed their concerns about the control exercised over Spears, 38. and their fortune, leading to repeated pleas and protests under the banner #FreeBritney.
However, the singer herself has rarely commented on the arrangement, and has not made much effort by her judge-appointed lawyer to change the structure of the conservatory. That changed this week when attorney Samuel D. Ingham III filed a motion Monday, in which he said Spears now believes the conservatory “needs to be substantially changed to reflect the major changes in her current lifestyle and her stated desires. ” (Conservation was first reported by The Blast.)
Among those shifts, according to Ingham, ‘Spears’ was a desire not to perform at the moment’, after a four-year stay in Las Vegas that ended in late 2017, and a one-time appearance the following year. In January 2019, the singer announced “an indefinite work hiatus”, and canceled her next planned concert stay, citing the health of her father, who had suffered a ruptured colon.
Later that year, James Spears stepped down from his role as Spears’ personal conservator – a role he had held since 2008, in which he provided, among other things, her mental health care – and was temporarily replaced by Jodi Montgomery, a licensed professional conservator.
Now, Spears has decided that she is ‘strongly opposed’ to returning to her father as conservator of her person or her estate, according to Ingham’s preservation, while also leaving open the possibility that she could end the conservatory completely. “Without in any way waiving her right to seek termination of this conservatory in the future,” the lawyer wrote, “Britney would like the appointment of Mrs. Montgomery as her person’s conservator to be made permanent. “
As for her financial affairs, as her estate, which James Spears has also managed since 2008, sometimes in tandem with another lawyer, “she strongly holds the preference over a qualified fiduciary for companies appointed to serve in that role.”
Ingham added that he expected that “any attempt to achieve my client’s objectives as set forth above would be aggressively opposed by James,” and that Spears hoped to hire a law firm with “substantial expertise in dealing with contested litigation in a very a complex case like this. ”
Ingham declined to comment on the case. Montgomery did not respond to a request for comment.
Although a conservatory, sometimes also called a care ship, is typically used to protect elderly, mentally handicapped or extremely ill people, Spears’ scheme has been flexible to meet her specific needs, as per California law, Ingham said in his submission. He broke the arrangement down into three phases, calling the first ‘triage’ – rescuing the singer ‘from a column, exploitation by predatory individuals and financial ruin’ – and with the second phase dealing with her comeback, in which she ‘ her position as a world-class entertainer. The third phase, Ingham said, would reflect Spears’ current pared-down public profile, in which her performances are relegated to a colorful Instagram account.
A status quo in the case is scheduled for Wednesday in Los Angeles.
James Spears, better known as Jamie, gave a rare interview about the conservatory earlier this month, denying accusations from fans that the singer’s affairs were not being handled properly on his watch. “All these conspiracy theorists know nothing,” he told Page Six. ‘The world has no clue. It’s up to the California court to decide what’s best for my daughter. It’s none of that. ‘
“I love my daughter,” he added. ‘But this is our business. It’s private. ”
