Britney Spears Has Won A Massive Victory Against Her Father
Britney Spears finally has a major victory against her father.
This article is more than 2 years old
Britney Spears’ father has finally agreed to step down from his daughter’s conservatorship. The news is a massive win for the princess of pop, who has been under a conservatorship for 13 years. In June she told a Los Angeles court the arrangement was cruel and accused her father and others of profiting from the system. The singer also said she had been prevented from having a contraceptive IUD removed, despite wanting more children, and was forcefully put on medication that made her feel drunk.
During a follow-up hearing in July, Judge Penny approved the resignations of Bessemer Trust and attorney Sam Ingham from the conservatorship. The court also approved Britney Spears’ request to hire attorney Mathew S. Rosengart to represent her. Rosengart informed the court that he would be working to terminate the conservatorship.
Later that day, Britney Spears publicly endorsed the #FreeBritney movement for the first time, using the hashtag in a caption on an Instagram post. She said that she felt “blessed” after earning “real representation”, referring to Judge Penny’s decision to allow her to choose her own counsel. Last month, with renewed hope, Britney Spears launched a bid to remove her father from the controversial guardianship which Jamie Spears placed her under when she suffered a very public breakdown in 2007.
At the time, Jamie’s lawyer said he would fight the move, disputing his daughter’s account. But Variety cited legal documents on Thursday in which Jamie said he would remove himself from the role. His decision to step down is being praised as a “major victory” by Britney Spears’ new attorney, Mathew Rosengart. He also made clear his intention to investigate Jamie’s conduct over the past 13 years, and plans to depose him under oath.
Although he’s backing down, Jamie Spears remains defiant with his lawyers citing the “public battle with his daughter” as the main reason for resigning. According to his legal team, there are “no actual grounds for suspending or removing” him. On Thursday, Britney Spears’ father filed his response to the singer’s petition for his removal in the Los Angeles Superior Court. He said he would cooperate with the transition, but did not give a timetable for his resignation.
Ironically, the court document also said Jamie Spears has always had his daughter’s best interests at heart and has not coerced her to do anything. It goes on to say that Britney Spears is strong and stands up for what she wants, while Jamie Spears has tried to do everything in his power to accommodate his daughter’s wishes regarding her personal life, family, or career. He did this while fulfilling his duties and obligations as conservator, and protecting her from others seeking to take advantage of her.
Britney Spears’ harrowing conservatorship ordeal became public knowledge thanks to the FX/Hulu documentary Framing Britney Spears which aired on 5 February 2021. Released as an edition of The New York Times Presents series, the film chronicled the singer’s rise to fame, her treatment by the paparazzi, her highly publicized 2007 breakdown, and the conservatorship that she has been living under since 2008. It also focused on the #FreeBritney Movement.