[Nicky91]

https://www.bbc.com/news/entertainment-arts-54897918



A US court has rejected an attempt by Britney Spears, 38, to have her father removed as conservator of her estate.

Jamie Spears has been his daughter's legal guardian for 12 years, due to concerns about her mental health.

Ms Spears' lawyer said the pop star was "afraid" of him, and that she would not perform so long as he remained in the role.

Her father's lawyer argued that he always acted in the best interests of his daughter.

A judge said she would consider future appeals for his dismissal or outright removal.

In the meantime, at the request of Ms Spears, financial company Bessemer Trust has been appointed as a co-conservator.

During a hearing on Tuesday, Ms Spears' lawyer, Samuel Ingham, said she and her father have no "viable working relationship" and have not spoken in a "long while".



But Vivian Thoreen, Jamie Spears' lawyer, argued that the reason they hadn't spoken was because Mr Ingham had advised Ms Spears against it.

Ms Thoreen also defended Mr Spears' record as conservator. When he assumed the role, Ms Spears was fighting tens of millions of dollars in lawsuits. But under his guidance, Ms Thoreen said her business operation was now worth $60m (£45m).

The legal battle is taking place against the backdrop of the "Free Britney" movement - a group of fans who believe Ms Spears is being kept prisoner by her father and others.

What is the conservatorship and why was it set up?

Britney Spears has not controlled her financial affairs or many of her career decisions since 2008 under the court-enacted agreement.

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

Essentially, for the last dozen years, her father and attorney have managed her assets and personal life - including being able to restrict her visitors and communicate with doctors about her treatment.

The star began behaving erratically in 2007 after her divorce from Kevin Federline, and she lost custody of their two children, although she has frequent visits.

Her alleged mental breakdowns took place in the public eye. She made headlines for shaving her head and was photographed hitting a paparazzo's car with an umbrella, and went to rehab facilities several times.

She was placed in psychiatric care after refusing to surrender her sons in a stand-off with the police, and the conservatorship was put in place in early 2008.

In the years under the conservatorship, she has released three albums, completed a two-year Las Vegas residency, and served as a judge on The X Factor.

Tuesday's hearing took place against the backdrop of the #FreeBritney movement, an organisation of fans who believe Spears is being kept prisoner against her will.

Some in the movement say Spears sends coded messages about her captivity through her social media accounts.

The star recently responded to their concern in a video, saying she was doing "fine".


"I know that there have been a lot of comments and a lot of people saying a lot of different things about me, but I just want to let you guys know that I am fine," she said. "I'm the happiest I've ever been in my life."

Following the court hearing, Britney posted a vintage photograph of children playing in the street, captioned: "Keep jumping towards your dreams".

What did Britney's mother say?



Britney Spears' mother, and James's ex-wife, Lynne Spears was allowed to take part in the hearing as an interested party.

In a statement released through her lawyer, she said her daughter should not be forced to obey her father's demands, calling their relationship "toxic."

"It has broken Lynne's heart that things have come to this point," Gladstone N Jones, said.

Jones added that Lynne Spears has no ill will towards James, but thinks it's "time to start fresh" and remove him.

"Contentiousness is not uncommon in families," Jones said, "but this is not a usual family."

[Niamh.]

Poor Britney, what a terrible situation to be in at 38 years of age. You could argue that her mental health is the way it is because of her parents and how they pushed her a child

[arista]

Clever of her to say she will not
Perform
until her dad is not controlling her

[Elliot]

Evil man, she deserves to be free at this point

[Ammi]

...this is just awful, so sad......feeling our own control is such a necessary, essential thing to mental well being and to understanding ourselves to be able to grow as well...to have such a huge part of that taken away from her and feel that helplessness ...and by her own parent as well, just horrendous...poor Britney...

[Samm]

evil man, he took advantage of her as a child and still does now.

[bitontheslide]

i don't understand why the money cant be managed by someone independent other than her father if she is unable to do it herself. If they don't get on, this must surely be putting her under more strain

[Niamh.]

Originally Posted by bitontheslide

i don't understand why the money cant be managed by someone independent other than her father if she is unable to do it herself. If they don't get on, this must surely be putting her under more strain

Exactly, it's very cruel to appoint a person she doesn't like or get along with to take charge of her money and her independence, she isn't a child and from what I've ever read about her parents, they really seemed to exploit her and her sister too

[UserSince2005]

Soon she will be better off dead to them, and she will mysteriously die from prescription drug abuse.

[Saph]

end the conservatorship so we can have new music!

[Vanessa]

I think her manager or mum should do it. She gets on so much better with them and she trusts them.