Jamie Spears, the father of artist Britney Spears, asked a court on Tuesday, September 7, to end the guardianship of his daughter, a controversial legal regime whereby her father has controlled the singer’s finances and life since 13 years ago. The pop star’s lawyer described as an “absolute victory” the decision of Jamie Spears, who less than a month ago already announced his intention to abandon his role as legal guardian, but who until now planned to leave that in the hands of someone else. control function exercised since 2008.
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“As Mr. Spears has said over and over again, all he wants is the best for his daughter. If Ms. Spears wants to end the guardianship and believes she can handle her own life, Mr. Spears believes she should have that opportunity, ”said the father’s attorney, Vivian Lee Thoreen. In a new document presented this Tuesday before the Superior Court of Los Angeles, which is handling the case, Thoreen argued that “it could be that there are no longer grounds to establish a guardianship.”
This is a further step from his announcement on August 12, when Jamie Spears resigned to continue as his daughter’s legal guardian but asked that that regime remain in the hands of someone else, and did not clarify when that transition would take place.
In June, Britney Spears denounced as “abusive” her legal guardianship, a figure that in the US is reserved for disabled people or people with serious illnesses, who cannot take care of themselves. In a telephone statement to the court, the 39-year-old singer then begged to be allowed to regain her life and denounced that, although she would like to have a baby, her guardians would not let her go to the doctor to remove the IUD (intrauterine device) that she has inserted. Although the artist asked the court to remove her father as legal guardian, until now she had not formally requested the end of the guardianship, which since 2019 is divided in two, with the financial part in the hands of Jamie Spears and the personal aspect in the hands of Jamie Spears. from attorney Jodi Montgomery. The judge handling the case, Brenda Penny, will now have to decide whether to accept the new request from the singer’s father, and the next hearing in the litigation is scheduled for September 29.
Britney Spears’ lawyer, Mathew Rosengart, described the news as an “absolute” victory for the artist, but warned that they will continue to explore options to sue the father for his alleged negligent handling of the singer’s finances. “If Mr. Spears believes that he can avoid justice and accountability, including an affidavit and answering questions under oath, he is wrong,” Rosengart, who has represented the singer since July, said in a statement. Britney’s father took charge of her personal life and finances in 2008, after a period of erratic behavior by the singer.
Although the measure was temporary in its inception, it has been maintained throughout 13 years in which the artist has acted, published albums and starred in a millionaire show in Las Vegas between 2013 and 2017, sometimes against her will. .
The conflict between the singer and her father has generated a great movement in social networks to support the artist, with the slogan FreeBritney (Freedom for Britney), a clamor that gained momentum this year after the premiere of the newspaper’s documentary The New York Times about guardianship Framing Britney Spears.