Los Angeles Judge Brenda Penny ruled after a sealed hearing on Thursday (August 19) to extend Britney Spears Conservatory until February 1, 2021.
The virtual hearing was attended by Spears’ court-appointed attorney, Samuel Ingham, her father James Spears, Lynn Spears, and their respective attorneys. In addition, Spears’ current temporary curator is Jodi Montgomery.
Penny also made some findings and orders under seal. In the meantime, she set a timetable for Britney’s lawyer to file a petition on 18 September. And to set her up for a hearing in her court on 14 October. Any objections in the case must be submitted by October 2nd.
The hearing came two days after Ingham submitted a court paper on behalf of the singer stating that she did not want her father to serve as her conservator. In his motion for the court, filed Aug. 17, Ingham said Spears’ needs and wishes have changed since the conservatory was placed over her in 2008.
Initially, he said that “conservators saved them from collapse, exploitation by predatory individuals and financial ruin”, according to the motion submitted to the court. Ingham described the first phase of her conservatory as a ‘triage’ to save her, but he says since her life and needs have changed. Ingham says he believes the changes now being requested by Britney are in their best interest.
He describes Britney’s second phase of her conservatory, which ran until her stay in Las Vegas ended on December 31, 2017 and her last live performance occurred on October 21, 2018, as her performance period. At the time, Spears needed the assistance of a personal manager, a business manager, as well as many other individuals. Yet, now, says Ingham Spears is entering a new phase with different needs and desires and she has no desire to celebrate.
“We are now at a point where the conservatory needs to be substantially changed to reflect the major changes in its current lifestyle and its stated desires,” Ingham wrote in the motion.
Spears also, he says, would prefer to have her current curator Jodi Montgomery continue to serve as her temporary curator instead of her father James Spears. Montgomery took over after Britney’s father asked the court last fall for permission to retire temporarily. She asked the court to make Montgomery’s appointment permanent.
In addition, Ingham said Britney was ‘strongly opposed’ to her father continuing as the sole conservator of her estate. Instead, she strongly prefers that she have a qualified fiduciary appointed to serve in that role, according to Ingham. Britney also says she is making these requests, but is in no way “disregarding her right to seek termination of this conservatory in the future.”
Ingham said he expected Jamie to fight Britney’s wishes ‘aggressively’. However, the pop star appears ready for battle.
“Britney herself has expressed to me a wish that we associate a lawyer or law firm with substantial expertise in dealing with contested litigation in a very complex case such as this through litigation,” Ingham wrote in the motion.
For now, however, it seems to remain as a status quo.
