Britney Spears is making a push in court Tuesday afternoon to remove her father from her conservatorship, according to the Associated Press.
A conservatorship is put in place when a judge appoints a responsible person or organization – the “conservator” – to care for another adult who cannot care for himself or herself or manage his or her own finances, according to the California court system.
The 38-year-old singer’s conservatorship has been in place since 2008 and earlier this year, she made moves to change it.
In court documents filed in August, Spears said she wanted Jodi Montgomery, her longtime care manager, to become her permanent conservator, according to Entertainment Tonight. Montgomery was appointed her temporary conservator in 2019 when Jamie Spears faced health issues.
Jamie Spears, who was co-conservator with attorney Andrew Wallet, ran the conservatorship for 11 years. Last year, Jamie was left entirely in charge, until partially stepping down due to health reasons. However, he kept his role as conservator of her finances, according to the AP.
On Tuesday, a judge will hear arguments on the request to remove Jamie Spears as co-conservator, the AP reports. The pop star says her father is unwilling to share control of more than $60 million she has in assets. Spears is also seeking more transparency in the court’s moves, which are often secret.
Britney Spears is expected to participate in the hearing via phone, due to coronavirus restrictions. Los Angeles Judge Brenda Penny will hear the case, the AP reports.
In recent court documents, Spears said her father was clearly planning to try “to retain full functional control of her assets, books and records in the face of Britney’s objections.” She said her father failed to notify her that her business manager resigned and that he appointed a new manager. During the court hearing on Tuesday, Spears plans to object to the accounting reports expected to be made at the hearing, which will likely be closed to the media and public, according to the AP.
Spears said she has gotten more privacy than is good for her, the AP reports, noting she has welcomed the “Free Britney” movement’s scrutiny.
“Far from being a conspiracy theory or a ‘joke’ as [Jamie] reportedly told the media, in large part this scrutiny is a reasonable and even predictable result of [Jamie’s] aggressive use of the sealing procedure over the years to minimize the amount of meaningful information made available to the public,” the court documents read, according to the AP.
Jamie Spears has argued in court filings that he has done a good job, saying he’s taken his daughter’s estate from being in debt to its current value of over $60 million – all while restoring his daughter “to good health, reunite her with her children, and revive her career.”
“Throughout his service as Conservator, Mr. Spear’s sole motivation has been his unconditional love for his daughter and a fierce desire to protect her from those trying to take advantage of her,” the court documents read, according to the AP.
Spears has in past court filings acknowledged that the conservator was necessary when it was started. Her attorney explained in court documents that the first phase was the “triage phase” that “rescued her from a collapse, exploitation by predatory individuals and financial ruin,” ET reports. This followed a 2007 incident during which Spears shaved her own head in public, raising concerns about her mental health.
The second phase of the conservatorship occurred when Spears spent years touring and performing at her Las Vegas residency.
The current third phase reflects Spears’ desire to no longer perform, court documents state, according to ET. “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,” the documents read.
