By Jill Serjeant
LOS ANGELES (Reuters) – Britney Spears wants her father to be removed as the person that controls her business and personal affairs in a major change to her 12-year court-appointed conservatorship.
Ahead of a court hearing in Los Angeles on Wednesday, the 38-year-old pop star’s lawyer filed documents saying the singer is “strongly opposed to having James (Spears) return as conservator of her person.” The document gave no reasons for her stance.
Jamie Spears was appointed conservator in 2008 after the pop star’s life spiraled out of control and she was hospitalized for psychiatric treatment.
After a career comeback, the “Toxic” singer pulled out of a Las Vegas concert residency last year and briefly entered a mental health facility. She has not performed publicly since October 2018 and the court documents said it was “her stated desire not to perform at this time.”
The long conservatorship for the former teen pop phenomenon has been the target of a vocal #FreeBritney campaign by fans. They believe she is being kept a prisoner and is sending cryptic signals begging to be freed through her social media accounts, which usually consist of selfies or her dancing at home.
The fans greeted news of her request to oust her father as a victory and plan a demonstration outside the downtown Los Angeles courthouse on Wednesday.
“We know our girl #FreeBritney happy with the news today! Huge step,” tweeted Junior Olivas, one of her most ardent fans.
Spears wants control over her affairs to be given to her care manager, Jodi Montgomery, who was made a temporary conservator last year after Jamie Spears suffered a bout of ill health, according to the court documents.
Jamie Spears has dismissed the #FreeBritney campaign as a joke.
“All these conspiracy theorists don’t know anything,” Spears told the New York Post earlier this month. “It’s up to the court of California to decide what’s best for my daughter. It’s no one else’s business.”
(Reporting by Jill Serjeant; Editing by Lisa Shumaker)
