Britney Spears’ father Jamie will remain the pop singer’s conservator of her estate after a judge denied a request from her attorney to have him removed.
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According to Variety, documents filed by the Los Angeles Superior Court on Wednesday (June 30) show a judge has denied a ‘months-old’ request to remove Jamie as conservator, as submitted by Britney’s lawyer Samuel D. Ingham III.
While the document was filed by the court primarily to approve the Bessemer Trust as the co-conservator of Britney’s estate, they also reiterate the court’s refusal to remove Jamie. The document was signed by the judge on June 30, a week after Britney’s landmark testimony in court on June 23, in which the singer said she wanted her conservatorship to end without further evaluation.
“The conservator’s request to suspend James P. Spears immediately upon the appointment of Bessemer Trust Company of California as sole conservator of estate is denied without prejudice,” the court documents reportedly read.
The documents also reportedly stated that the court found Spears to be “substantially unable to manage his or her financial resources or to resist fraud or undue influence”.
Additionally, the New York Times reports Jamie has called for an investigation into the “accuracy” of the claims Britney aired during her court testimony last week. In a rare court appearance, the singer had labelled the conservatorship as “abusive”, among other claims, alleging she was forbidden from having more children, getting married or taking out her IUD.
“I’ve lied and told the whole world I’m OK and I’m happy,” she said in the hearing, which was broadcast to the media. “It’s a lie. I thought I just maybe if I said that enough. Because I’ve been in denial. I’ve been in shock. I am traumatised. You know, fake it till you make it.
“But now I’m telling you the truth, OK? I’m not happy. I can’t sleep. I’m so angry it’s insane. And I’m depressed. I cry every day.”
- READ MORE: What is the #FreeBritney movement and what is conservatorship? Here’s everything you need to know
On Tuesday (June 29), lawyers acting on behalf of Jamie requested an evidentiary hearing and called into question Jodi Montgomery, Britney’s conservator of her person, and the singer’s court-appointed attorney Ingham.
Montgomery took over temporarily from Jamie in September 2019 after he was having health problems. “Mr. Spears is simply not involved in any decisions related to Ms. Spears’s personal care or medical or reproductive issues,” Jamie’s lawyers reportedly wrote in a court filing.
“Mr. Spears is unable to hear and address his daughter’s concerns directly because he has been cut off from communicating with her.”
The lawyers also said Jamie has no intention of returning as Britney’s conservator of her person.
Montgomery’s lawyer Lauriann Wright responded by saying Montgomery has “been a tireless advocate for Britney and for her well-being” with “one primary goal – to assist and encourage Britney in her path to no longer needing a conservatorship of the person”.
Concerning Ingham, Jamie’s lawyers questioned whether an earlier move from Britney’s attorney to petition Montgomery take over as her permanent conservator reflected the singer’s wishes, given she “neither signed nor verified” the petition.
They also referred to Ingham’s previous claim that Britney lacked the capacity to consent to medical treatment, pointing out “there was no such finding, and there is no such order”.
“Either the allegations will be shown to be true, in which case corrective action must be taken, or they will be shown to be false, in which case the conservatorship can continue its course. It is not acceptable for conservators or the court to do nothing in response to Ms. Spears’ testimony,” the lawyers said.
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