Britney Spears’ guardianship explained

Written by Suanshu Khurana, edited by Explained Desk | New Delhi |

Updated: Mar 23, 2021 6:51:15 AM

American pop star and actor for over 12 years Britney Spears was under the tutelage of her father Jamie Spears – as well as being a very active pop sensation touring back to back, creating albums, making deals with some of the biggest brands and judging a reality show.

During that time, she had no power over the wealth she generated or over general decisions about what she should or should not do. In 2019, she announced that she would not perform until her father was removed from his position as curator.

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Britney is now at the center of an ongoing legal battle over trusteeship in which America talks about freedom, rights and the law around them.

What is a guardianship?

Guardianship is a form of adult guardianship in the United States, which allows the registrar – primarily another family member – to be in charge of the registrar. A conservator is a person or institution that protects the curator and obtains separate powers from the court to do so.

The situation depends on the individual’s ability to make decisions about his life on his own. These are mainly people who lack the functional capacity to take care of themselves, their interests, finances, living conditions, medical care and general well-being. or which are subject to any fraud.

The court usually appoints a conservator in cases of old age, dementia, developmental disabilities, or physical or mental limitations. The whole concept is based on keeping the curator healthy, out of harm’s way, and with his or her best interests in mind.

The person seeking guardianship files a petition in court to be conservative.

How did Britney Spears end up in a trusteeship?

Since 2008, Britney has been under the legal guardianship of her father, Jamie Spears, who was not known to be an important figure in her life. It all started in January 2008 when Britney was taken to hospital in the middle of the night for a psychiatric assessment after refusing to return her children to her ex-husband and to representatives of their father and dancer Kevin Federline.

When the police arrived, she appeared to be under the influence of an unknown substance. There was grapevine around addiction and mental health issues and Britney was later admitted to Ronald Reagan UCLA Medical Center in Los Angeles. She lost custody of her two children after the incident.

Soon Britney’s father, Jamie, filed a temporary guardianship over Britney and secured the rights with his attorney Andrew Wallet. After being released from the hospital, Britney held meetings with lawyers, not wanting her father to be the curator. But the court ruled Britney was unable to retain and direct a lawyer on her own.

Britney, the high level curator

Britney’s Tories had power over tours, money, and security in addition to being able to make recording and television deals for her. The arrangement was in place even after Britney made a successful comeback. Shortly after the 2008 incident, Britney returned to work, starred on the popular TV show How I Met Your Mother, and released her sixth studio album, Circus, months later.

The following years were filled with more albums, awards, tours, millions of dollars, and residencies besides being a judge on X-Factor. Her tutelage has been unusual because Britney has been a high profile, extremely productive and intelligent curator.

But in January 2018, she announced an “ indefinite work disruption, ” canceling a planned residency in Las Vegas. In March 2019, Andrew Wallet resigned as co-curator of his estate after 11 years. Britney admitted to a mental institution the same month.

What is the #FreeBritney movement?

It’s a move by Britney fans to put pressure on the authorities to end her tutelage. It started after fans started to wonder how a high profile person like her wasn’t able to make her own decisions.

Everything around Britney’s guardianship was shrouded in nondisclosure agreements.

Right after Britney’s 2019 admission to a mental institution, Britney’s Gram, a fan podcast, posted a voicemail from someone claiming to be a paralegal on Jamie Spears’ legal team, alleging that she was detained at the facility against her will and that the Las Vegas residence was canceled by her father because she refused to take her medication.

Voicemail went viral and resulted in #FreeBritney with the support of the American Civil Liberties Union and celebrities like Paris Hilton and Miley Cyrus, outside the court protests during the hearings.

In November 2020, the court appointed Bessemer Trust as co-curator of Britney’s estate alongside Jamie. The case is still in court.

Britney remains responsible for paying legal fees for her own lawyers and lawyers for her Conservatives. She paid a million dollars in legal fees last year.