Britney Spears ‘Strongly Opposed’ to Father Resuming Conservatorship
According to a new court filing, pop star also seeks to remove James Spears from overseeing her financial affairs
In a new court filing, Britney Spears is "strongly opposed" to her father James Spears resuming his role as her conservator. Photo: Valerie Macon/AFP/Getty
Britney Spears is “strongly opposed” to her father, James “Jamie” Spears, resuming his role as her conservator and overseer of her financial affairs and estate per a new court filing, as New York Times reports. For more than a decade, the pop star has been subject to a conservatorship, where a judge appoints a guardian to manage the financial and personal affairs for someone who is incapacitated or incapable of making those decisions soundly on their own.
Spears was first placed under a conservatorship in 2008 following a series of public breakdowns. However, in the filing by lawyer Samuel D. Ingham, Spears feels the structure of the conservatorship “must change substantially in order to reflect the major changes in her current lifestyle and her stated wishes.”
Her father served as her conservator until last fall when he stepped back from the post following health issues. Since then, licensed conservator Jodi Montgomery has taken on the role. According to the court filing, Spears is “strongly opposed” to her father returning as her conservator and overseer of her estate and implied she may seek to end the conservatorship for good.
“Without in any way waiving her right to seek termination of this conservatorship in the future,” Ingham wrote in the filing, via New York Times, “Britney would like Ms. Montgomery’s appointment as conservator of her person to be made permanent.” Spears also “strongly prefers to have a qualified corporate fiduciary appointed” to manage her financial affairs and estate in lieu of her father. A status hearing in the case is scheduled in Los Angeles on Wednesday.
Ingham declined to comment.
A growing group of supporters, who have been concerned about Spears and questioned the conditions and motives of her conservatorship, have been advocating for the pop star under the hashtag #FreeBritney. Her father addressed the movement in an interview with Page Six.
“All these conspiracy theorists don’t know anything. The world don’t have a clue,” he said. “It’s up to the court of California to decide what’s best for my daughter. It’s no one else’s business.” “I love my daughter,” he added.
