In a landmark court filing, Britney Spears showed support for the #FreeBritney campaign, which fans launched to call for an end to her 12-year conservatorship.
The Princess of Pop, 38, said in court documents filed in Los Angeles on Wednesday, September 2, and obtained by Us Weekly that she wants her conservatorship case to be open to the public, going against her father Jamie Spears’ motion to keep it sealed. Previous hearings have been closed to fans and members of the media, allowing only Britney, her parents, Jamie, 68, and Lynne Spears, temporary conservator Jodi Montgomery, lawyers and a few other parties inside the courtroom.
“Britney herself is vehemently opposed to this effort by her father to keep her legal struggle hidden away in the closet as a family secret,” her attorney, Samuel D. Ingham III, said in the filing, noting that “there are no medical issues at all in a conservatorship of the estate, nor are her children [Preston, 14, and Jayden, 13] involved in any way.”
The Grammy winner’s lawyer also slammed Jamie for calling the #FreeBritney movement “a joke” made up by “all these conspiracy theorists” in an August 1 interview with Page Six.
“Far from being a conspiracy theory or a ‘joke’ as James reportedly told the media, in large part this scrutiny [on social media] is a reasonable and even predictable result of James’ aggressive use of the sealing procedure over the years to minimize the amount of meaningful information made available to the public,” Ingham said. “Whatever merits his strategy might have had years ago when Britney was trying to restart her career, at this point in her life when she is trying to regain some measure of personal autonomy, Britney welcomes and appreciates the informed support of her many fans.”
Britney was placed under the conservatorship in February 2008 after her public breakdown. It bars her from making personal and financial decisions without the approval of her court-appointed guardians, including Jamie; Montgomery, a licensed fiduciary who temporarily replaced Jamie after his 2018 health scare; and attorney Andrew Wallet, who resigned in 2019 but recently took steps to get back on the case.
The “Toxic” singer said in court documents obtained by Us on August 17 that she is “strongly opposed” to her dad returning as conservator after Montgomery’s stint ends on February 1, 2021.
“With Jodi in the mix, Britney’s been more driven and hopeful and continues to take steps in the right direction,” a source exclusively told Us at the time, adding that the entertainer is “ready to take back control after 12 years.”
