Celebrity

Britney Spears Wants Her Conservatorship Case To Be Public Amid #FreeBritney

#FreeBritney is not "a conspiracy theory or a 'joke,'" according to Spears' lawyers.

Britney Spears' lawyers filed new documents requesting that her conservatorship case be made public.
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Britney Spears is making some major legal moves. According to new court documents obtained by TMZ, Britney Spears wants her conservatorship case to be made public, a decision that comes shortly after the singer requested that her father, Jamie Spears, be removed as the guardian of her estate. The singer is reportedly fighting against her father's ongoing request to have Andrew Wallet re-appointed as co-conservator. Wallet was a controversial figure in Spears' conservatorship, acting as co-conservator with her father for almost a decade before resigning in 2009.

According to the new report, Spears' lawyers have requested to block Jamie's motions to keep parts of her case sealed from the public, arguing that "there are no medical issues or sensitive issues with her children to protect," and thus, any hearings and their outcome should be made public. "Britney herself is vehemently opposed to this effort by her father to keep her legal struggle hidden away in the closet as a family secret," her lawyer said, per TMZ.

While they didn't explicitly mention it by name, the statement from Spears' lawyer also seemed to acknowledge the #FreeBritney movement, even refuting Jamie's recent statement that the entire movement was created by "conspiracy theorists" who don't know the truth. "Far from being a conspiracy theory or a 'joke' as [Jamie] reportedly told the media, in large part this scrutiny is a reasonable and even predictable result of James' aggressive use of the sealing procedure over the years to minimize the amount of meaningful information made available to the public," the statement reads.

In a separate petition filed Aug. 31, Spears also reportedly requested that the Bessemer Trust Company be appointed conservator of her estate, as she no longer wants her father in charge of her life and finances. According to court documents obtained by E! News, the singer's attorney noted that because hers "is a voluntary conservatorship," she "wishes to exercise her right to nominate a conservator" of her choice. The documents also reportedly ask that the Bessemer Trust Company be granted "the power and authorization to pursue opportunities related to professional commitments and activities including but not limited to performing, recording, videos, tours, TV shows, and other similar activities as long as they are approved by the conservator of the person and the Conservatee's medical team."

In addition, the petition specifically noted that Spears does not want Jamie to continue in the role of her conservator. "Britney is strongly opposed to her father continuing as sole conservator of her estate," the documents read. "Rather, without in any way waiving her right to seek termination of this conservatorship in the future, she strongly prefers to have a qualified corporate fiduciary appointed to serve in this role." Instead, she has asked that Jodi Montgomery — who took over temporarily as conservator in September 2019 — continue on as the guardian of her estate. "Britney is strongly opposed to having James return as conservator of her person," the petition states.

After a hearing in mid-August, Spears' conservatorship was extended until February 2021. Though she has not publicly commented on it, she did thank fans for their support on Instagram for standing by her. "I want to thank all my dear ... sweet ... real fans for being so damn wonderful !!!" she wrote, alongside a video of herself answering fan questions from her backyard. "I can feel your hearts and I know you can feel mine ... thank you for your support."