Britney Spears: Singer's Conservatorship Case Explained - BBC News

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HomeNewsSportBusinessTechnologyHealthCultureArtsTravelEarthAudioVideoLiveWeatherNewslettersBritney Spears: Singer's conservatorship case explained12 November 2021ShareSaveShareSave

Reuters

Many aspects of Britney Spears' finances and personal life have been controlled by her father and others for the past 13 years under a form of legal guardianship called a conservatorship.

It was set up in 2008, after the US pop star, known for hits like Oops I Did It Again! and Toxic, faced a public mental health crisis.

A court released the singer from the conservatorship on Friday.

Why was the conservatorship set up?

The singer began behaving erratically in 2007 after her divorce from Kevin Federline was finalised and she lost custody of their two children.

A series of public incidents raised concern about her mental welfare, with the star making headlines for shaving her head and hitting a photographer's car with an umbrella.

In 2008, she was twice admitted to hospital under a temporary psychiatric assessment ruling, including after an incident in which she allegedly refused to surrender her sons in a stand-off involving police.

A temporary conservatorship was established around this time and made permanent later that year.

In recent court filings, her father Jamie's lawyers had said the conservatorship was "necessary to protect Britney in every sense of the word". They said: "Her life was in shambles and she was in physical, emotional, mental and financial distress."

What is the conservatorship?

Getty Images

A conservatorship is granted by a court for individuals who are unable to make their own decisions, like those with dementia or other mental illnesses.

Spears' conservatorship was split into two parts - one for her estate and financial affairs, the other for her as a person.

Jamie Spears was in charge of both parts but stepped down as his daughter's personal conservator in 2019 citing health reasons, replaced by a court-appointed care professional.

Mr Spears was suspended as conservator of her financial estate in September 2021, replaced by an accountant chosen by Britney and her lawyer.

In the years under the conservatorship, Spears released three albums, held a successful Las Vegas residency and made numerous television appearances, including a stint as a judge on the US X Factor.

What does the conservatorship control?

Getty Images

The conservatorship has power over her finances and career decisions plus major personal matters such as her visits with her teenage sons and whether she can get remarried.

She told a court in June: "I want to be able to get married and have a baby. I was told right now in the conservatorship I am not able to get married and have a baby." The conservators wouldn't let her have her birth control removed, she claimed.

She also said she was forced to go on tour, made to take medication she didn't want and go into rehab.

Court records obtained by The New York Times showed that its reach even extended to the colour of her kitchen cabinets.

A documentary made by the newspaper also alleged that the singer's phone and bedroom had been bugged by security staff working for her father.

What has Britney Spears said?

The singer "has been faced with a decade-long nightmare, Kafkaesque nightmare orchestrated by her father and others", her lawyer said in September.

In her court appearance in June, the star asked the judge to end the "abusive" arrangement and said she was "traumatised".

"This conservatorship is doing me way more harm than good," she said, speaking remotely. "I deserve to have a life."

She has also thanked fans who campaigned to #FreeBritney for their support.

• Britney Spears: Everything she said in court

Reuters

What has Jamie Spears said?

Mr Spears has said he loves his daughter "unconditionally" and had "tried to do what is in her best interests".

Following his daughter's court testimony, his lawyer said he was "sorry to see his daughter suffering and in so much pain".

Yet he denied Mr Spears was responsible for the restrictions apparently placed on his daughter's private life and requested an inquiry into the testimony.

Following Britney's petition in July to have him replaced, Mr Spears agreed to step down as her conservator, and later asked the court to consider whether the conservatorship itself should continue.

"Through the conservatorship, Britney has been able to return to a path towards stability in all of these phases of her life," his lawyer said in early November. "The mission has been successful and it is now time for Britney to re-take control of her life."

What next for Britney?

The star will begin a new chapter of her life, including getting married to her fiancé Sam Asghari without needing the approval of her conservators.

The legal dispute with her father is likely to continue after the conservatorship ends, however.

In July, Spears said she was prepared to "press charges" against her father. "I have to get rid of my Dad and charge him with conservatorship abuse," she said.

Conservatorship abuse can involve financially exploiting or imposing excessive personal restrictions on someone in your care.

Court documents revealed by the New York Times in June showed the star was given an allowance of $2,000 per week, while her father's salary as conservator was about $16,000 per month, plus money for office space rental and a percentage of various deals signed for his daughter.

The singer's lawyer has accused her father of financial misconduct and "reaping millions of dollars from his daughter's estate".

In September, he told reporters he had "serious questions" about "potential misconduct, including conflicts of interest, conservatorship abuse and the evident dissipation of Ms Spears fortune", and vowed a "top-to-bottom" examination of documents relating to the case.

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