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The legal battle over who should control Britney Spears’ finances and personal life is set to return to the courtroom later this week amid renewed discussion about how she was treated during her meteoric rise in as a teenage pop star and during her subsequent struggles with mental health.
The issue has resurfaced in recent days after “Framing Britney Spears,” a New York Times documentary, premiered Friday on FX and Hulu. The film centers on the dispute over Spears’ guardianship, a legal arrangement that has allowed other people – mainly his father – to manage his career, personal life and finances since 2008.
Tracing the origins of the current legal battle, the documentary tells the story of a talented artist who for decades was surrounded by people seeking to capitalize on her, and who was ultimately driven to despair by an insidious celebrity culture. and the paparazzi who would. don’t leave her alone.
The film also explores the #FreeBritney movement, a fan campaign that seeks to portray Trusteeship as a money-hungry way to exercise control over Spears.
Since the new documentary debuted, those calls have multiplied, with several celebrities joining and amplifying a movement that was once confined to a niche group of activists and superfans.
In posts on Instagram and Twitter On Tuesday, Spears appeared to indirectly comment on the documentary by sharing one of his performances from a few years ago and writing, “I will always love to be on stage…. but I take the time to learn and be a normal person… .. I love to enjoy the basics of everyday life !!!! “
“Remember, no matter what we think we know about a person’s life,” she wrote, “it’s nothing compared to the real person living behind the lens.”
With a hearing scheduled for Thursday in Los Angeles, here’s a breakdown of the guardianship controversy.
What is a guardianship?
Sometimes called guardianship, guardianship is a complex legal arrangement usually reserved for the elderly, sick or infirm. A representative is appointed to manage the affairs and estate of the person if that person is deemed incapable of taking care of themselves or vulnerable to outside influence or manipulation.
Spears has been living under guardianship since 2008, after a series of public collapses (which the documentary said were aggressively captured by paparazzi who followed Spears almost everywhere she went). For more than a decade Spears’ father James P. Spears, known as Jamie, oversaw much of his daughter’s financial and personal life as a curator. Appointed restaurateurs control everything from Spears’ mental health care to where and when she can travel; the setup means that Spears’ restaurateurs are required to submit itemized accounts of its purchases to court – even minor charges like $ 5 purchases at Sonic Drive-In or Target.
Conservatories are always described as being intended for the protection of a person. Representatives for Jamie Spears have said her management of her career has likely saved her from financial ruin. He said in court that his “only motivation was his unconditional love for his daughter and his fierce desire to protect her from those who try to take advantage of her”.
Jamie spears stepped down from his role as his daughter’s personal curator in 2019, citing health concerns; a professional restaurateur took his place temporarily. The current legal battle revolves around control of Spears’ estate.
Where does the question lie in court?
Last summer the contours of the case changed dramatically when court-appointed Spears’ attorney Samuel D. Ingham III said in a court file for the first time that his client “strongly objected” to his father as a curator. In requesting that Spears’ temporary personal curator, Jodi Montgomery, a professional in the field, be made permanent, Ingham left open the possibility that Spears could one day seek to end the tutelage altogether.
“Without in any way waiving her right to seek termination of this trusteeship in the future,” Ingham wrote, “Britney would like the appointment of Ms Montgomery as her personal curator to be made permanent.”
In November, a judge refused to immediately remove Jamie Spears as head of his daughter’s estate; at the same time, the judge added a corporate trustee, Bessemer Trust, as a co-curator, as the singer requested.
In December, the judge extended Montgomery’s temporary role as personal curator until September of this year.
Thursday’s hearing in Los Angeles will likely include a discussion of the roles Jamie Spears and Bessemer Trust will play in running the estate. A lawyer for Jamie Spears did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
What does Britney Spears want?
What has become clear in recent months thanks to her lawyer, according to court documents, is that Britney Spears no longer wants her father to be her conservative.
At a hearing in November, the singer’s lawyer said “she was afraid of her father,” whom she had not spoken to for a long time, and that she would not breed again if her father kept control of his career, The Associated Press reported.
For years, Spears had largely ignored fan calls to #FreeBritney, but more recently she signaled some approval when her attorney wrote in a court file that her client “welcomes and appreciates the thoughtful support of her many fans.” ” (Her father called the #FreeBritney activists “conspiracy theorists.”)
What is less clear is whether Britney Spears intends to try and end the guardianship in the near future. His initial dislike of the arrangement was clear in 2008, when, in an interview with MTV, Spears compared his situation to an endless prison sentence.
In her social media posts on Tuesday, Spears wrote, “Each person has their story and their take on other people’s stories.”
Her current boyfriend, Sam Asghari, dated earlier Tuesday with an emphatic criticism of Jamie Spears, writing in an Instagram story that he has “no respect for someone who tries to control our relationship and constantly throws us up. obstacles.
Who else has spoken?
The #FreeBritney movement has captured the attention of celebrities before, like when Miley Cyrus shouted the phrase at a concert in 2019. But the film has amplified support – and garnered a report from reporters and journalists alike. others about how they may have played into Britney’s hypercritical obsession with the aughts.
In the days following the documentary’s release, celebrities like Sarah Jessica Parker, Bette means and Andy cohen tweeted the hashtag. Calling the documentary a “punch”, actress Valérie Bertinelli tweeted a list of men who she says have harmed Spears throughout her career. Hayley Williams singer wrote that “no artist today” would have to endure what Spears did.
In the days following the documentary’s debut, another post, popularized by celebrities including the singer Courtney love, started trending: “We’re sorry, Britney.” It was a sad admission that intrusions into Spears’ private life, fixation on his sexuality, and relentless focus on his mistakes rested on the shoulders of many.
Joe Coscarelli contributed reporting.
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