Britney Spears: Judge denies pop star’s request to remove her father from conservatorship
Decision means singer’s father Jamie Spears will continue to have power in obtaining all records and documents over her assets
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Your support makes all the difference.Britney Spears’ request to have her father removed from his role overseeing her conservatorship has been denied, court documents reveal.
The 39-year-old pop star’s lawyer Samuel Ingham III filed the request to remove her father back in November 2020.
When calling for him to be removed, Ingham said Spears was afraid of her father and wanted him removed from the conservatorship that has controlled her business and personal life since 2008.
The documents state that Spears’ request to deliver the “entire” conservatorship to a single trust company were rejected by Judge Brenda Penny.
“The conservatee’s request for an order directing James P Spears, Tri Star Sports & Entertainment Group and Michale Kane, to deliver the entire conservatorship estate together with all books and records forthwith to Bessemer Trust Company of California, NA as sole conservator of the estate is denied without prejudice,” the documents state.
This decision means Jamie and the Bessemer Trust Company Of California continue to hold power in obtaining all documents and records related to the “Till The World Ends” singer and her assets.
They have also been granted additional orders to “revoke all powers of attorney, including powers of attorney for making health care decisions and managing real estate, and to terminate any and all agencies.”
The filing date was 30 June, a week after Spears delivered explosive testimony calling for an end to her conservatorship.
According to recent reports, Spears’s father has called for an investigation into the singer’s claims around her long-running conservatorship, in place since 2008.
His attorneys have requested an evidentiary hearing and questioned the actions of the singer’s current personal conservator, Jodi Montgomery, and court-appointed lawyer, Ingham III.
“It is critical that the Court confirm whether or not Ms Spears’s testimony was accurate in order to determine what corrective actions, if any, need to be taken,” said the filings. “It is also imperative for the proper functioning of conservatorship proceedings before this Court that all parties be provided a full and fair opportunity to respond to allegations and claims asserted against them.”
In her testimony, Spears spoke about wanting to end her conservatorship without being medically evaluated, given the extent to which she has already been seen multiple times for many years.
At one point, she claimed she was forced to take lithium after she publicly announced a break from live performances.
“It’s a strong drug. You can go mentally impaired if you stay on it longer than five months. I felt drunk. I couldn’t even have a conversation with my mom or dad about anything,” she said.
She also explained that her team allegedly did not want her to get pregnant with another child.
“I want to be able to get married and have a baby,” Spears said. “I have an IUD in my body right now that won’t let me have a baby and my conservators won’t let me go to the doctor to take it out.
“I feel ganged up on. I feel bullied and I feel left out and alone,” she told the court.
Jamie Spears had earlier filed court documents of his own, denying he was responsible for the restrictions apparently placed on his daughter's private life.
He has overseen her estate for 13 years but has not been in charge of her personal affairs since September 2019, when he stepped down from that role due to ill health.
He was replaced as conservator of Ms Spears's person on a temporary basis by Jodi Montgomery, the singer's care-giver.
Additional reporting by Press Association