Image Source: bbc.com
Every family has its drama; fame doesn’t make a difference. This Thanksgiving, the Spear’s family dinner might be a little awkward. Britney Spears recently filed a formal motion to permanently remove her father as a co-conservator of her $54 million estate and appoint Bessemer Trust Company the sole conservator moving forward. The motion was meant to formalize an arrangement that has been in place for over a year: last year, Britney’s father Jamie stepped down as her conservator due to his “health reasons.” Jamie Spears’ colon ruptured in late 2018. However, some sources also report that his stepping down may have resulted from a physical altercation with Britney’s 13-year-old son; Keven Federline reportedly filed a police report.
What is a Conservatorship
Courts appoint conservators to care for adults who cannot care for themselves or manage their finances. As you may have guessed, conservators are usually appointed for elderly adults who have dementia, and not young pop stars. Spears’ father Jamie was appointed co-conservator along with her attorney Andrew Wallet, over Britney’s assets, estate, and business affairs in 2008 after the pop star suffered a mental breakdown. While Britney’s conservators are widely credited with rescuing her career, the arrangement has raised questions in recent years as Britney seems to have recovered and been quite successful. For example, Britney has had a long-running and highly successful show in Las Vegas since 2013.
The restrictions of the conservatorship are quite burdensome; according to a 2016 New York Times report, “her most mundane purchases, from a drink at Starbucks to a song on iTunes, are tracked in court documents as part of the plan to safeguard the great fortune she has earned but does not ultimately control.”
What is #Free Britney
In the past few years, there has been a growing movement among Britney fans to # FreeBritney. The movement was started by Tess Barker and Barbra Gray, two comedians who launched a podcast in 2017 investigating the suspicious social media posts of Britney Spears and the sketchy financial transactions by her conservators.
Image Source: theblast.com
In March 2019, Britney’s long-time attorney, Andrew Wallet, who was appointed the co-conservator along with Britney’s father, quit. According to court documents first obtained by The Blast, Wallet stated: “The conservatorship is engaged in numerous ongoing business activities requiring immediate attention and it, therefore, is in the best interest of the conservatee that the acceptance of Wallet’s resignation and the issuance of amended letters of conservatorship of the estate occur immediately and without delay.”
What do you think? Should Britney be freed?
