(Main photo credit: Britney Spears’ Instagram)
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Britney Spears has expressed desire to remove her father, Jamie Spears, from a legal arrangement that has let him manage her life and finances for 12 years.
She has also called for transparency in the court hearings regarding her father’s conservatorship, seemingly joining the #FreeBritney movement started by her fans and supporters.
According to reports, since the singer’s breakdown in 2007, Jamie has been in charge of her personal and financial affairs—with Spears needing to ask permission from him before making significant decisions in her life. Such conservatorship setup is done for the elderly as well as sick people who have little chance of recovery. In a report by The Guardian, Jamie is believed to be receiving around $130,000 annually from the singer’s estate.
After he got sick, the role was taken over by Jodi Montgomery, an independent professional conservator. While the initial arrangement was said to be voluntary, Spears is now asking for her father to be permanently removed from the role, and instead have Bessemer Trust, a wealth management company, to be appointed as custodians of her fortune amounting to $57.4 million.
According to her lawyer Samuel Ingham III, Spears is also “vehemently opposed to this effort by her father to keep her legal struggle hidden away in the closet as a family secret”.
“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,” The Guardian quoted him as saying.
He also criticized Jamie for claiming that the #FreeBritney movement is a joke made by conspiracy theorists, saying that Spear’s father has been aggressive in sealing procedure over the years to minimize information made available to the public.
“Transparency is an essential component in order for this court to earn and retain the public’s confidence with respect to protective proceedings like this one. In this case, it is not an exaggeration to say that the whole world is watching,” he added.
Ingham said the next hearing regarding the singer’s conservatorship will be held in October.
