Photos: Anthony Harvey/Getty Images and Nick Ut/AP
Jamie Spears has agreed to step down as his daughter Britney’s conservator.
The news was announced by Jamie after responding to his daughter’s petition for his suspension.
He reasoned that he is stepping down after the “public battle with his daughter.”
His response, filed at the Los Angeles Superior Court, states “There are, in fact, no actual grounds for suspending or removing Mr. Spears as the Conservator of the Estate. … And it is highly debatable whether a change in conservator at this time would be in Ms. Spears’ best interests.”
It adds, “Nevertheless, even as Mr. Spears is the unremitting target of unjustified attacks, he does not believe that a public battle with his daughter over his continuing service as her conservator would be in her best interests. So even though he must contest this unjustified Petition for his removal, Mr. Spears intends to work with the Court and his daughter’s new attorney to prepare for an orderly transition to a new conservator.”
Jamie notes that he needs to resolve certain matters before stepping aside. The response states, “When these matters are resolved, Mr. Spears will be in a position to step aside. But there are no urgent circumstances justifying Mr. Spears’ immediate suspension.”
Britney’s legal team has responded to her’s father’s statement. Mathew Rosengart said, “We are pleased that Mr. Spears and his lawyer have today conceded in a filing that he must be removed. We are disappointed, however, by their ongoing shameful and reprehensible attacks on Ms. Spears and others.”
He adds, “In the interim, rather than making false accusations and taking cheap shots at his own daughter, Mr. Spears should remain silent and step aside immediately.”
Britney Spears’ conservatory, explained
Britney’s career has been in a conservatorship since 2008 following a public mental health crisis.
A conservatorship is a court-granted directive that assigns a legal guardian for individuals who cannot make their own decisions. The court appointed Jamie as his daughter’s conservator, giving him control over her estate and other aspects of her life.
The New York Times obtained court records saying that Britney has opposed the conservatorship earlier than believed. It also showed how controlled her life was, including restricting who she dated and the color of her kitchen cabinets. A court investigator said in a report in 2016, “She feels the conservatorship has become an oppressive and controlling tool against her.”
In November 2020, a judge did not remove Jamie as a conservator but added Bessemer Trust, a financial company, as a co-conservator. Soon, the judge extended Jamie’s control until September 2021.
This June, Britney spoke up against her father and the conservatorship in court. She said, “I think this conservatorship is abusive. I don’t think I can live a full life. I feel ganged up on, I feel bullied and I feel alone.”
She also said, “I shouldn’t be in a conservatorship if I can work and provide money and work for myself and pay other people. It makes no sense.”
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