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Britney Spears is trying to make some changes to her conservatorship, which has been in place for over a decade, according to the New York Times.
What’s going on?
- Spears has been under a conservatorship since 2008, with her father, Jamie Spears, acting as conservator until Sept. 2019, according to CNN.
- A conservator acts as a guardian that oversees the financial and other affairs of a person, usually someone who the courts have determined are unable to oversee their own affairs, according to Fox Business.
- Jodi Montgomery, who is Spears’ longtime care manager, has been acting as the pop star’s temporary conservator after her father stepped down last year, according to CBS News.
- Court documents filed in Los Angeles show that Spears is trying to make changes to the conservatorship, which is set to expire on Aug. 22, CNN reported.
What changes does Spears want to make?
- Spears is “strongly opposed” to having her father “return as conservator of her person,” according to court documents, Variety reported.
- The court documents also said that “Britney … strongly prefers to have a qualified corporate fiduciary appointed to serve in this role,” according to Variety.
- Instead, Spears wants Montgomery to continue permanently as conservator.
- Apart from the conservatorship, Spears also revealed in the documents her “desire not to perform at this time,” according to the New York Times.
- In 2019, Spears canceled a concert residency in Las Vegas because of her father’s health issues and said that she was taking “an indefinite work hiatus,” according to the Times.
Some context
- Fans of the pop star have been concerned that Spears has not been able to make her own decisions, leading to the #FreeBritney movement on social media, a Change.org petition with over 100,000 signatures, and even protests, the Deseret News previously reported.
- “Her father doesn’t allow her to drive, all of her calls & messages are monitored, she’s not allowed to vote, hang with anyone or spend her money without permission. And if she breaks a ‘rule’ he threatens to have her kids taken away,” the Change.org petition reads.
- Earlier this month, in an interview with Page Six, Jamie Spears called the #FreeBritney movement a “joke” and added that “it’s up to the court of California to decide what’s best for my daughter. It’s no one else’s business.”
- Britney is not attempting to end the conservatorship, just her father’s role in it, according to court documents, the Associated Press reported. She said in the documents that the conservatorship “rescued her from a collapse, exploitation by predatory individuals and financial ruin” and also made her “able to regain her position as a world class entertainer.”