Britney Spears’ conservatorship: The latest updates

Here are the latest updates since Britney Spears pleaded in a passionate 20-minute testimony for the court to end her conservatorship that has been in place since 2008.

Note: This story will be updated as new information comes in.

Britney Spears’ father Jamie Spears says he will step down in conservatorship battle

Thursday, Aug. 12

Jamie Spears — the father of Britney Spears — has agreed to step down from his conservatorship of his daughter, the iconic pop star, Variety reports.

Jamie Spears’ decision came in a response to his daughter’s petition, which called for his suspension. He said he wanted to step down from his conservatorship.

However, Jamie Spears’ attorney said there was “no actual grounds for suspending or removing” him from the spot. He said the reason is because of the “public battle with his daughter,” per Variety.

“There are, in fact, no actual grounds for suspending or removing Mr. Spears as the Conservator of the Estate under Probate Code section 2650. And it is highly debatable whether a change in conservator at this time would be in Ms. Spears’ best interests,” the court document from Jamie Spears said, according to Variety.

Petition to remove Britney Spears’ father from conservatorship is filed

Monday, July 26

Spears’ new lawyer, Mathew Rosengart, has officially filed a petition to remove Jamie Spears from the conservatorship, Good Morning America reported.

Most recently, under the conservatorship, Jamie Spears has been in charge of his daughter’s finances. Rosengart has now requested that Jason Rubin, a California-based accountant, be placed in charge of the singer’s estate, according to Good Morning America.

The petition alleges that since 2009, Jamie Spears has received a monthly allowance of $16,000 for managing his daughter’s finances, Insider reported.

• “Mr. Spears has profited handsomely from his daughter’s conservatorship. By way of illustration only, since at least 2009, Mr. Spears has been paying himself $16,000 per month from Ms. Spears’s estate — $2,000 more than he has allotted to Ms. Spears,” the petition reads, according to Insider.
• “Serious questions abound concerning Mr. Spears’ potential misconduct, including conflicts of interest, conservatorship abuse and the evident dissipation of Ms. Spears’ fortune, which Mr. Spears has effectively controlled since 2008,” the petition also states, according to Good Morning America.

Meanwhile, Jodi Montgomery — who oversees Spears’ personal affairs under the conservatorship — will now continue in that position until at least Oct. 8, Good Morning America reported.

The next hearing regarding the conservatorship will take place Sept. 29.

Working ‘aggressively’ to remove Britney Spears’ father from conservatorship

Monday, July 19

On Monday, Britney Spears’ new lawyer, Mathew Rosengart, said he is “moving aggressively and expeditiously” to remove Britney Spears’ father, Jamie Spears, from the conservatorship, The Wrap reported.

Britney Spears has previously said she is “afraid of her father” and will not perform as long as he remains in charge of her career, the Deseret News reported.

Rosengart said he will file the petition unless Jamie Spears resigns first, Fox News reported.

• “I want to thank Britney Spears for her courage and for her strength,” he said outside of court on Monday, according to The Wrap. “And I also want to thank Britney Spears’ fans and supporters, the outrage and support for the firm, myself and Britney has truly been overwhelming, from coast to coast and around the world.”

Additionally, Jodi Montgomery — the conservator over Britney Spears’ personal affairs who said earlier this month that she has been receiving death threats since Spears’ June 23 testimony — will likely have security costs of $50,000 covered by Spears’ estate, Fox News reported.

That matter will likely be addressed at the next court date on July 26.

Britney Spears celebrates court victory, thanks fans for support

Wednesday, July 14

After Wednesday’s hearing — which granted Spears the right to choose her own legal counsel as she moves forward in the battle to end her conservatorship — Spears expressed gratitude to her fans in a social media post that included a video of her doing cartwheels in celebration.

“Coming along, folks ... coming along !!!!! New with real representation today,” she wrote. “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 !!!!!”

Britney Spears can now hire her own lawyer

Wednesday, July 14

During Wednesday’s hearing, a judge ruled that Spears can hire her own lawyer as she begins the process of possibly ending her conservatorship, Variety has reported. It’s a significant step forward as Spears has been represented by court-appointed attorneys since 2008.

This marks the first time Spears has had a say in her legal representation since the conservatorship was established, HuffPost reported.

Spears has selected Mathew S. Rosengart, an attorney who has worked with a number of A-list celebrities, to help her navigate the ongoing legal battles. Rosengart will likely have a more “aggressive approach” in pushing for the conservatorship to end, The New York Times reported.

Britney Spears wants to charge her father with ‘conservatorship abuse’

Wednesday, July 14

In the latest hearing on Wednesday, Spears was emotional as she told judge Brenda Penny she is “extremely scared” of her father, NBC News reported.

“I’m here to get rid of my dad and charge him with conservatorship abuse,” the 39-year-old singer said, according to NBC News, adding that everything in her life — from her diet to her work schedule — has been out of her control.

“Their goal was to make me feel crazy and I’m not,” she said, according to NBC News. “And that’s not OK.”

Britney Spears in talks with new lawyer

Sunday, July 11

After stating her desire to pick her own attorney, Spears has been in discussions with Mathew S. Rosengart to help bring her conservatorship to an end, The New York Times reported.

The former federal prosecutor has represented several celebrities over the years, including Ben Affleck, Steven Spielberg and Sean Penn, according to Page Six.

Rosengart plans to attend Wednesday’s hearing, where Spears’ right to select her own counsel will likely be discussed, The New York Times reported.

Britney Spears’ conservator is receiving death threats

Wednesday, July 7

Jodi Montgomery, who oversees Spears’ personal affairs in the conservatorship, said she has received death threats since the 39-year-old singer spoke in court on June 23, Variety reported.

Montgomery has asked for Spears’ conservatorship estate — currently run by Spears’ father, Jamie Spears, and the institution Bessemer Trust — to pay for security. In that same request, Montgomery has also said that Spears wants her to remain the conservator over her personal affairs and that she will not be resigning, according to Variety.

• “Since Ms. Spears has requested that Petitioner retain her position as conservator, Petitioner has no intention of abandoning her by resigning because of these threats,” Montgomery’s attorneys wrote in a statement, according to Variety.

In their statement, provided by Variety, the lawyers also included text messages Spears wrote to Montgomery: “I need u to stay as my co conservator of person. I’m asking u for ur assistance in getting a new attorney. Thank u for ur help.”

This update comes a week after Spears’ father placed blame on Montgomery for the singer’s treatment under the conservatorship and called for an investigation, the Deseret News reported.

Getting a new lawyer

Tuesday, July 6

During her testimony on June 23, Spears was open about wanting to pick her own attorney. Her court-appointed attorney, Samuel Ingham III, who has represented Spears since the start of the conservatorship in 2008, requested to resign from the case on July 6, Variety reported.

Spears now needs to find a new attorney to begin the process of requesting to terminate the conservatorship. Spears’ mother, Lynne Spears, has petitioned the Los Angeles County Superior court to allow her daughter to choose her own attorney, CNN reported.

• “Her capacity is certainly different today than it was in 2008, and Conservatee should no longer be held to the 2008 standard, whereby she was found to ‘not have the capacity to retain counsel,’” Lynne Spears’ July 7 filing reads, according to People.

In December 2020, Spears’ conservatorship was extended until at least September of this year, according to an investigative piece in the New Yorker, which revealed the singer called 911 to report herself as a victim of conservatorship abuse on the eve of her June 23 hearing.

Other resignations

Thursday, July 1

Since Spears’ June 23 testimony, Bessemer Trust — which was previously appointed to be a co-conservator with Jamie Spears over the singer’s estate — filed a petition to resign from the conservatorship on July 1, NPR reported.

The firm said it believed Spears was in the conservatorship voluntarily, and after hearing her remarks, wanted to respect the singer’s wishes. That hearing is scheduled for July 14.

As it stands now, if Bessemer Trust were to remove itself from the conservatorship, Britney Spears’ father would be the sole conservator over the singer’s finances since a judge denied a motion to remove him on June 30, the Deseret News reported.

After learning of Spears’ possible intentions to retire, Larry Rudolph, the singer’s longtime manager, also resigned on July 5, Deadline reported.

• “I will always be incredibly proud of what we accomplished over our 25 years together,” Rudolph wrote, according to Deadline. “I wish Britney all the health and happiness in the world, and I’ll be there for her if she ever needs me again, just as I always have been.”