Tag: Conservatorship

  • Britney Spears says she’s lost baby due to miscarriage

    By Associated Press

    LOS ANGELES: Britney Spears says she has lost a baby early in her pregnancy. Spears announced the loss on Instagram Saturday in a joint post with her partner, Sam Asghari. The pop superstar, who gained her freedom from a court conservatorship that controlled her life for more than a decade, said in April that she was expecting a child with Asghari.

    “It is with deepest sadness we have to announce that we have lost our miracle baby early in the pregnancy. This is a devastating time for any parent,” the post said. “Perhaps we should have waited to announce until we were further along however we were overly excited to share the good news.”

    “Our love for each other is our strength,” the post said. “We will continue trying to expand our beautiful family.”

    The 40-year-old Spears has said she longed for a baby with the 28-year-old Asghari, a personal trainer, but also said the nearly 14-year-long conservatorship that ended last year forced her to remain on birth control.

    The two met on the set of her “Slumber Party” video in 2016. Spears has two sons with ex-husband Kevin Federline.

  • She changed the course for women: Lady Gaga praises Britney Spears over conservatorship row

    By ANI

    WASHINGTON: Lady Gaga is all praises for her fellow pop singer Britney Spears. Recently, Spears took to her Instagram Story and shared a video of Gaga responding to a question about the ‘Lucky’ singer following the termination of her conservatorship after 13 years, reported People.

    “Thank you @ladygaga for genuinely taking your time to say something so kind. You made me cry !!! I love you,” Spears captioned the clip. After Spears conveyed her thanks to Gaga, the latter penned a heartfelt post for her, saying she has changed the course for women in the industry.

    ALSO READ| Britney calls out Christina Aguilera for avoiding questions about conservatorship

    “Love you @britneyspears Live your best life. I prayed for the legal system to treat you like a person. You’ve now changed the course for women in this industry forever. You stood up for yourself and were so brave. Thank you,” Gaga wrote.

    Spears’ conservatorship was terminated earlier this month when Los Angeles County Judge Brenda Penny approved the former’s father Jamie Spears’ petition to end the legal arrangement.

  • Freedom from court could be imminent for Britney Spears

    By Associated Press

    LOS ANGELES: Britney Spears’ independence day may finally have arrived.

    At a hearing in a downtown Los Angeles courtroom on Friday, a judge will decide whether to terminate the conservatorship that has exercised vast control over the pop superstar’s life and money for nearly 14 years.

    With no significant opposition from anyone involved, it appears likely Judge Brenda Penny will dissolve the legal arrangement. Britney Spears’ attorney, her parents, and the court appointees who control the conservatorship all publicly support termination.

    Jodi Montgomery, the conservator who oversees the singer’s life and medical decisions, has developed a care plan with her therapists and doctors to guide her through the end of the conservatorship and its aftermath.

    But Penny has not given overt signals to what she will decide, and she has considerable discretion and power. Legal or bureaucratic hurdles, or lingering concerns over Spears’ medical care or finances, could still slow down what might seem like the inevitable end.

    It is not clear whether Spears, 39, will take part in the hearing. Fans who have demanded the court #FreeBritney, whom she has credited with bringing her to this point, will be outside the courthouse in significant numbers.

    Penny sided decisively with Spears and her attorney Mathew Rosengart at the last hearing in September, when she suspended the singer’s father James Spears from the conservatorship that he had controlled at least in part since he first sought it in 2008.

    The judge made no finding of wrongdoing against James Spears, saying only that the “toxic environment” made the move necessary.

    “The current situation is untenable,” Penny said.

    Prior to that hearing, James Spears reversed course and supported terminating the conservatorship. Rosengart argued that he should be suspended and have no role in the legal arrangement’s endgame. He has vowed to pursue an investigation of James Spears’ handling of the conservatorship even after it ends.

    The attorney said he planned to take a “top-to-bottom look” at the actions of James Spears and his representatives and suggested that law enforcement should investigate revelations in a New York Times documentary about a listening device placed in his daughter’s bedroom.

    James Spears’ attorneys said Rosengart’s allegations ranged from unsubstantiated to impossible, and that he only ever acted in his daughter’s best interest.

    The post-conservatorship fight has in some ways already begun. James Spears has parted ways with the attorneys who helped him operate it, and has hired Alex Weingarten, a lawyer specializing in the kind of litigation that may be coming.

    And in court filings last week, Britney Spears’ former business managers, Tri Star Sports and Entertainment Group, pushed back against Rosengart’s demands for documents on its involvement in the conservatorship from 2008 to 2018. The group also denied any role in or knowledge of any surveillance of the singer.

    As recently as six months ago, it appeared the conservatorship would continue indefinitely. It has since unraveled with surprising speed.

    Key was a speech Britney Spears’ made at a June hearing, in which she passionately detailed restrictions and scrutiny of her life that she called “abusive.”

    She demanded that the conservatorship end without any prying evaluation of her mental state.

    Legal experts at the time said that was unlikely to happen, and would represent an aberration from common court practice.

    Now it appears she may get exactly what she sought.

  • Britney Spears’ legal battle over guardianship heads back to Los Angeles court

    By AFP
    LOS ANGELES: Three weeks after Britney Spears sensationally called for an end to her “abusive” guardianship, the pop singer’s legal battle returns to court Wednesday in Los Angeles. Spears gave explosive testimony on June 23 in which she pleaded with a California judge to allow her to end the conservatorship long controlled by her father, and to choose her own lawyer.

    Her 20-minute emotional and almost breathless monologue ramped up worldwide interest in a case that was already the subject of a frenzied #FreeBritney campaign by her adoring fans, who are expected outside court again on Wednesday.

    It is not known if the singer will address the court directly this time, but at least 10 separate petition hearings and five further items are on the docket, according to the Los Angeles County Superior Court website.

    Since her testimony last month, many of the central figures in the complex and controversial network installed to manage Spears’ affairs have distanced themselves. Samuel Ingham, the lawyer appointed by court soon after her highly public 2007 breakdown — when the shaven-headed star attacked a paparazzo’s car at a gas station — has asked to step down from his role.

    So too has the financial management company that was set to assume joint control of Spears’ estate with her father Jamie, who remains in place despite a petition filed last year for his removal. Her longtime manager Larry Rudolph has also resigned.

    All three men came in for searing criticism from Spears last month, when the 39-year-old said that “my dad and anyone involved in this conservatorship and my management — who played a huge role in punishing me when I said ‘no’… they should be in jail.”

    Her impassioned testimony has drawn widespread support, from fans chanting outside the courtroom to her musical peers Christina Aguilera and Madonna. Spears told the court that she had been prevented from having a contraceptive IUD removed, despite wanting more children, and forcefully put on medication that made her feel “drunk.” 

    She said she had been made to perform shows under threat of lawsuit, and that she was not even allowed to get changed in privacy or drive her own car. “I just want my life back. It’s been 13 years and it’s enough,” said Spears.

    ‘Handpick my own lawyer’

    The nature of Wednesday’s petitions is not publicly known. But earlier this month Spears’ mother Lynne filed a petition asking for her daughter to be allowed to choose her own new lawyer. Celebrity website TMZ reported Tuesday that the singer has been in talks with Hollywood lawyer Mathew Rosengart and that he has agreed to represent her.

    The former federal prosecutor has previously represented the likes of Steven Spielberg and Sean Penn, and is expected to attend court on Wednesday. Rosengart did not immediately respond to an AFP request for comment.

    If the judge approves his appointment, Rosengart would be expected to apply for Jamie Spears’ removal from control of her estate, and — at some point — an end to the conservatorship itself. “I haven’t really had the opportunity by my own self to actually handpick my own lawyer by myself. And I would like to be able to do that,” Spears told the court last month.

    “I would like to also — the main reason why I’m here — is because I want to end the conservatorship without having to be evaluated,” she said.

    Judge Brenda Penny would also need to sign off on the requests to step down from lawyer Ingham and Bessemer Trust, the wealth manager. Spears is currently responsible for footing the legal bills for both sides — including the hefty fees charged by the attorneys opposing her in the case.

    Wednesday’s hearing will not be available to follow online after a copy of the audio from last month’s hearing — made available for streaming under pandemic protocols — was leaked and circulated online.

  • Britney Spears’ father Jamie breaks silence on singer’s allegations over conservatorship

    By ANI

    WASHINGTON: Jamie Spears has finally broken his silence and fired back at his daughter Britney Spears’ allegations who wants him entirely out of the conservatorship of her estate. Jamie filed legal documents claiming that he has not had any involvement in Britney’s personal decisions for nearly two years, according to TMZ.

    He has also demanded to order an investigation into the issues and claims raised by Britney. He said he has not even spoken to his daughter in a long time because “he has been cut off from communicating with her.”

    Jamie laid all the blames for the restrictive rules on the songstress’ current personal conservator, Jodi Montgomery.

    He said that when Britney’s lawyer Sam Ingham filed documents to appoint Montgomery, Britney was not mentally stable to make decisions about her medical treatment, and therefore it was left to the conservator- now Jodi Montgomery.

    Jamie fired back at the claims saying the court never found she was unable to consent to medical treatment and the court never made such an order. Furthermore, he claimed it was Britney’s own lawyer, who has been seeking to take away his client’s right to make medical decisions on her behalf and “vest those decisions solely in Montgomery’s hands.”

    According to the legal documents obtained by TMZ, “Ms Montgomery has been fully in charge of Ms Spears’ day-to-day personal care and medical treatment, and Ms Montgomery has made all decisions related to those matters.”

    Jamie said if Britney has been restricted from marrying or having a baby, it is all controlled by Jodi Montgomery, not him. He also claimed that he consented to Britney’s marriage when she got engaged to Jason Trawick in 2011, but they broke up in 2013 before tying the knot.

    According to TMZ, in another document, Jamie’s lawyer stated, “Mr Spears believes it is important for the integrity of the conservatorship proceedings and in the best interests of Ms Spears for the Court to order an investigation into the issues and claims raised by [Britney] at the June 23, 2021 status hearing.”

    “Either the allegations will be shown to be true, in which case corrective action must be taken, or they will be shown to be false, in which case the conservatorship can continue its course. It is not acceptable for Conservators or the Court to do nothing in response to Ms Spears’ testimony,” he added.

    Jamie was named the conservator of Britney’s estate and person in 2008 when the singer suffered a very public breakdown. The wealth-management firm Bessemer Trust Company joined Jamie last year as co-conservator of the estate.

    Meanwhile, despite Britney’s bombshell testimony, last week, a Los Angeles Superior Court judge recently has denied the request from the singer’s lawyer, to have Jamie Spears dropped as his daughter’s co-conservator.