Britney Spears seeks to have father removed as sole conservator
Ethan Miller/Getty ImagesBritney Spears is due in court Wednesday to discuss the terms of her conservatorship, which has been in place since 2008. An attorney for the singer has requested in court documents obtained by ABC’s Good Morning America to ha…
By ABC Audio on August 19, 2020
Ethan Miller/Getty ImagesBritney Spears is due in court Wednesday to discuss the terms of her conservatorship, which has been in place since 2008.
An attorney for the singer has requested in court documents obtained by ABC’s Good Morning America to have Spears’ temporary conservator, Jodi Pais Montgomery, permanently placed in charge of her person in place of her father, James “Jamie” Spears.
Montgomery was appointed to serve in place of Spears’ father last September, and the order is set to expire on August 22.
Spears’ attorney is also asking the court to permanently allow a “qualified corporate fiduciary” to preside over the singer’s estate.
“Britney is strongly opposed to having James return as conservator… [and] strongly opposed to James continuing as sole conservator of her estate,” the filing reads, adding that Spears is not “in any way waiving her right to seek termination” of the conservatorship in the future.
An attorney for Jamie Spears has not responded to a request for comment.
Spears, 38, has been under a personal and financial conservatorship since she was hospitalized more than a decade ago after displaying erratic and worrying behavior.
In the new court filing, her attorney said that phase one of the conservatorship was considered “triage,” in which her conservators “rescued her from a collapse, exploitation by predatory individuals and financial ruin.”
Phase two involved her return to performing, the document states, noting that over the past several years, Spears was able to “regain her position as a world-class entertainer” and juggle world tours, a television series and a successful residency in Las Vegas.
However, early last year, the singer and mother of two announced she was going on an “indefinite work hiatus.” According to the court filing, the singer has no intention of returning to the stage any time soon.
By Lesley Messer & Anthony McMahon
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