After more than a decade, Britney Spears is seeking to permanently break free from her father’s conservatorship. According to documents filed on Tuesday, the pop star officially asked the court to not allow her father, James Spears, to regain control over her life.
From 2008 to 2019, James oversaw nearly every major aspect of his daughter’s existence — from personal matters like her relationships and health to financial affairs related to her career. The “Womanizer” singer was placed under such a conservatorship following a series of public meltdowns and hospitalizations.
However, in recent years, many of Britney’s fans have called into question her father’s motives. Believing he and his team may have unfairly taken advantage of the conservatorship for their own personal benefit, they began a movement titled #FreeBritney.
The situation between Britney and her father reached a boiling point last year, when Britney first went to court to plead her case for freedom. She argued that her father committed her to a mental health facility against her will and altered her medication. Months later, fighting backlash from concerned #FreeBritney fans, James filed a defamation lawsuit against the founder of a popular Britney Spears fan site.
Editors’ Picks
In late 2019, James temporarily relinquished his role as conservator in order to tend to his own health conditions. Jodi Montgomery, a licensed professional conservator, stepped in for the time being.
But now as James to regain his conservatorship, Britney is taking a strong stance and officially addressing the situation — something she’s rarely done in such a public way since the conservatorship began. According to filed documents (via the New York Times), the pop icon said she’s “strongly opposed” to having her father reinstated as sole conservator and requested that their arrangement “be changed substantially in order to reflect the major changes in her current lifestyle and her stated wishes.”
Britney asked that Montgomery be allowed to stay on board as conservator, but expressed that she also wants to have the power to end the conservatorship altogether if she so chooses.
The documents also outlined Britney’s career plans — or rather, the lack thereof. The “Crazy” hitmaker has stated her “desire not to perform at this time” following a four-year residency in Las Vegas.
Britney’s lawyers fully expect her father James to “aggressively contest” all of the requests made. In preparation, the singer plans to hire a specific legal team with “substantial expertise in handling contested litigation in a highly complex case such as this one.”
A status hearing in the case is scheduled for Wednesday in Los Angeles.
