Judge Denies Britney Spears' Request to Suspend Dad's Conservatorship Role
LOS ANGELES (CBSLA) — A judge Tuesday denied Britney Spears' request to suspend her father's duties as the conservator of her estate, but said she would not rule out hearing a similar motion in the future.
"That's the subject of another discussion down the road," Los Angeles Superior Court Judge Brenda Penny said.
Penny appointed the Bessemer Trust Co. to share duties with Jamie Spears to manage his daughter's business affairs.
The singer's lawyer, Samuel Ingham III, said he will file a motion to remove Jamie Spears, but no date was set. The 38-year-old entertainer has been under conservatorship since 2008 when she exhibited bizarre public behavior.
Vivian Thoreen, Jamie Spears' lawyer, said her client has faithfully taken care of his daughter's interests for 12 years
"When you look at what Mr. Spears has done it speaks for itself," Thoreen said.
Ingham said the singer has told him on "many occasions" that she is afraid of her father and does not want to perform professionally while he is in his current role.
"It's in my client's best interest to start with a clean slate," Ingham told Penny.
By the end of Tuesday's hearing, Ingham said he believed he could work with Jamie Spears' attorneys to make the co-conservatorship work.
An attorney for Lynne Spears, the mother of the Britney and the ex-wife of Jamie, said she appreciates the work Jamie has done on their daughter's behalf, but she also believed it was time for a change.
The singer's fans have been active in calling for an end to the oversight of her life and affairs.
In September, fans protested outside of a hearing in Downtown Los Angeles over the pop star's conservatorship case.
According to the Los Angeles Times, she checked into a mental health facility in early April to focus on "self-care." She had canceled her Las Vegas residency three months prior.
She has not performed live since 2018.
(© Copyright 2020 CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved. City News Service contributed to this report.)