Court Rejects Britney Spears’ Bid To Remove Father As Her Legal Guardian

A Los Angeles court has rejected Britney Spears’ bid to remove her father Jamie Spears as conservator of her estate.

Jamie Spears has been in control of her assets and career since 2008, when he was temporarily installed as her legal guardian due to concerns about the singer’s mental health. That conservatorship has remained in place for 12 years.

At times, Britney’s lawyer Andrew Wallet has also been listed as a co-conservator, but Jamie Spears’ has largely been responsible for the management of the estate. Wallet resigned from his role in March 2019, and claimed that “substantial detriment, irreparable harm, and immediate danger will result to the conservatee and her estate if the relief requested herein is not granted on an ex parte basis.”

Back in 2016, The New York Times described Britney’s life under the conservatorship as being highly controlled.  “Her most mundane purchases, from a drink at Starbucks to a song on iTunes, are tracked in court documents as part of the plan to safeguard the great fortune she has earned but does not ultimately control,” they wrote.

In August, Britney filed to permanently remove her father as her conservator, with her lawyer Samuel D Ingham III saying that the terms of the guardianship “must be changed substantially in order to reflect the major changes in her current lifestyle and her stated wishes”. They requested that an independent professional conservator Jodi Montgomery — who had briefly taken over for Jamie when he was unwell in 2019 — assume the role permanently.

But today, the Los Angeles Superior Court rejected that bid, but did install Bessemer Trust — an independent company — as the co-conservator of her estate. Jamie Spears’ lawyer,Vivian Lee Thoreen, argued that he had always acted in the interests of the popstar, and his removal would cause significant disruption to her health.

“I don’t believe there is a shred of evidence to support my client’s suspension,” she said, per the Hollywood Reporter. 

Ingham told the court that Britney and her father have not spoken for a long time, and she is afraid of him.

“My client has informed me that she is afraid of her father,” Ingham told judge Brenda Perry. “She will not perform again if her father is in charge of her career.”

Ingham has signalled they will continue to fight to remove Jamie Spears as her guardian.

Over the last year, calls to #FreeBritney have grown louder and louder, as fans perceive her current arrangement as being harmful to her mental health. In July, a number of TikToks posts by the singer caused concern among her fanbase about her mental state.

Earlier this month, she reassured fans that she was “fine”.