Yahoo Finance Britney Spears Calls for Her Dad to Face Abuse Charges, in a New Court Appearance
Britney Spears has addressed a court for the second time in less than a month, calling for her dad to be removed from her conservatorship and for him to be chared with 'abuse'
A judge has ruled that the star can hire her own lawyer in her on-going battle to end the controversial leal arrangement
Later, she shared a post to Instagram which included #FreeBritney
Britney told a court in June that the conservatorship is 'abusive', that she believes that her father enjoys having control over her and that she had been denied her wish to have an IUD removed, so that she could have a baby
Britney Spears has addressed a court for the second time in less than a month, stating that she wishes for her father to be removed from her conservatorship and to be charged with 'conservatorship abuse.'
The singer addressed the court via phone on Wednesday, and made clear once again that she wants the complex legal arrangement, which she was placed under in 2008 following a series of bouts of ill mental health, to end in full – but that her priority is ousting her dad, Jamie Spears, from his role.
Conservatorship arrangements are controversial and are routinely used for people who are very elderly and infirm and can no longer make their own financial decisions.
'My dad needs to be removed today and I will be happy with Jodi helping me,' the 39-year-old stated, referring to co-conservator Jodi Montgomery, an experienced conservator who has a degree in social welfare.
Britney listed out some new examples of control exercised over her life, including that her hair vitamins and coffee had been taken from her. 'Ma'am, that's not abuse, that's just fucking cruelty,' she told the judge. 'Excuse my language but it's the truth.'
What does Britney appointing her own lawyer mean for her case?
On Wednesday, it was confirmed that Mathew Rosengart will represent Britney in the case going forward, rather than her court-appointed lawyer, Samuel Ingham. Before Britney addressed the court, Rosengart detailed that she should be able to choose her own layer as her 'powerful, compelling, honest' statements from June prove that she is 'more than capable of hiring her own counsel.'
Britney has criticised Ingham in the past for not doing enough to end her conservatorship.
After the hearing, Britney shared a video of herself on Instagram, featuring herself cartwheeling and riding a horse. She captioned it:
'Coming along, folks ... coming along 🖕🏻!!!!! New with real representation today ... I feel GRATITUDE and BLESSED !!!! Thank you to my fans who are supporting me ... You have no idea what it means to me be supported by such awesome fans !!!! God bless you all !!!!! Pssss this is me celebrating by horseback riding and doing cartwheels today 🤸♂️🤷♀️🐎 !!!! #FreeBritney.'
What did Britney say in June?
Speaking in court in June, the mum-of-two listed a series of alleged abuses at the hands of her conservatorship, which she was placed under in 2008 following a series of bouts of ill mental health. These arrangements are controversial and are routinely used for people who are very elderly and infirm and can no longer make their own financial decisions.
Speaking to the court via a remote link, Variety reports that Britney alleged that her father and the conservatorship team have such a hold over her life that they've refused to allow her to have her IUD removed, so that she can start trying for a baby with her partner, Sam Asghari. 'I have an IUD in my body right now that won’t let me have a baby and my conservators won’t let me go to the doctor to take it out,' the court heard.
She also said that after refusing to perform a series of shows in Las Vegas, her therapist then branded her as 'uncooperative' and switched her usual medication over to lithium regimen. 'Not only did my family not do a goddamn thing [at this time], my dad was all for it,' Britney told Judge Brenda Penny while making her request. 'Anything that happened to me had to be approved by my dad.'
Following being deemed 'uncooperative', Britney says she was told by her father that she had to a stay in a $60,000 a night facility and that in her opinion, he enjoyed having control over her.
'The control he had over someone as powerful as me — he loved the control to hurt his own daughter 100,000%. He loved it,' she continued. 'I packed my bags and went to that place. I worked seven days a week, no days off, which in California, the only similar thing to this is called sex trafficking. Making anyone work against their will, taking all their possessions away — credit card, cash, phone, passport — and placing them in a home where they work with the people who live with them.'
The mother-of-two also shared how unhappy she is with her situation, 'I’ve lied and told the whole world 'I’m OK and I’m happy'... It’s a lie. I thought I just maybe if I said that enough maybe I might become happy. I’ve been in shock. I am traumatized. But now I’m telling you the truth... I’m not happy. I can’t sleep. I’m so angry it’s insane. And I’m depressed. I cry every day.'
What else has happened?
In early July, a judge denied Britney Spears' request to have her father removed from his role in her conservatorship.
The singer's lawyer asked a court for Jamie Spears' control over the 39-year-old's estate to be relinquished in November 2020, thus ending a role he has occupied since 2008, reports the BBC.
This ruling is not a response to the star's heartbreaking testimony in June, in which she said that the complex legal arrangement is 'abusive,' that her father enjoys having 'control' over her and that it has resulted in her being forced to work and perform against her will. In further shocking allegations, Britney stated that, under the conservatorship, she was denied a request to remove a contraceptive IUD, so that she can have a baby.
A judge cannot make a ruling based on the June statement until Britney files a formal petition to have the conservatorship terminated.
The court documents which show that the request to remove Jamie Spears has been denied pertain only to the previous November request, in which lawyers acting for Britney asked that wealth management firm the Bessemer Trust be her 'sole conservator'. Though the request to remove Jamie Spears from his position has been denied, a judge has agreed to the Bessemer Trust becoming co-conservator of Britney's multi-million dollar estate.
Separately, lawyers acting for Jamie Spears have asked the court to look into Britney's claims of abuse under the conservatorship, denying that he is responsible for the restrictions placed on her, in her private life.
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