Yes I agree. No judgement and you did everything the best you could.
Britney Spears
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Artistic Skaters
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People needn't take BS's statement at face value. NYT reported her father arranged for a percentage of her income from shows, merchandise etc. It's a conflict of interest that may have been approved by the court but seems highly inappropriate considering she's gone on record that she doesn't want him as a business manager and even apparently refused to perform because of the dysfunction between them.
According to her mother, who evidently originally thought it was a good idea for the father to be the conservator, the situation is toxic and the father refers to BS as a racehorse. Further, her parents went bankrupt before BS started bringing in the sheaves for the family. I'm not quite sure why either of them would be considered the best option to take charge of her financials, especially when one of the main reasons for needing the conservatorship is because of the apparent "complexity" of her financial needs. It sounds much more complicated than keeping the family budget he could not successfully reconcile.
A judge advised her conservatorship can be reexamined with a year of clean drug tests, yet the news reports note her alcoholic father relapsed on the road multiple times during one of her "sober" tours. Interesting that such an "assessment" was only required for the female making all the money but not the man in charge of her finances and personal activities.
BS pays hundreds of thousands of dollars in legal fees for her father that include things like public relations strategies to gain support from the public for the continuation of the conservatorship. All of these things start looking like one conflict of interest after another and Britney Spears hasn't had to say a word. If it's all legal perhaps it's time for leadership to reassess and make some modifications.
I agree with this I would hope there was reasons for to be put in it but her family is providing period.
Coco
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If Britney has an attorney who's been appointed by the court, she cannot walk into any attorney's office and hire them. If an attorney wanted to withdraw from representing someone they need to file paperwork to do so.
A judge won't start recognizing the new attorney until certain protocols have been followed. So Britney does not have control here. If her lawyer will not tell her she can file a petition or advises against filing a petition to end the conservatorship there is really nothing she can do.
A judge won't start recognizing the new attorney until certain protocols have been followed. So Britney does not have control here. If her lawyer will not tell her she can file a petition or advises against filing a petition to end the conservatorship there is really nothing she can do.
MacMadame
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It's really easy for outsiders to say Spears can do this, Spears can do that, but conservatorships are not easy to end and are prone to abuse, at least here in CA. And in many ways, Spears is in the position of an abused woman who can't get away from her abuser because they have all the power.
Vagabond
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It sounds like Britney Spears has a good argument for why her father should be removed, but that's not the same thing as a good argument why the conservatorship should be ended. Maybe she has that too, but one the one doesn't follow from the other.
overedge
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I'm not saying this to support the unfairness of what you're pointing out, because it is unfair. But in terms of keeping the "business" going, he's replaceable. She isn't.
Artistic Skaters
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There is also the restraining order against her father (that applies to both of the grandsons) because he broke down the door during a fit of anger and assaulted the grandson. Even if BS's finances require oversight, it's hard to understand why the judge doesn't look at these cumulative bad acts and take action to remove her father, considering they are micromanaging BS to the point of monitoring all her bodily functions to make sure she behaves accordingly. It seems like the responsible thing to do if they truly believe she can't maintain her finances would be to appoint an independent third party completely unaffiliated with the exploitation aspect of children (who grow into adults) in show business and get on with it.
It almost sounds like this is some type of legally enacted option similar to that system set up in PA that had lawyers, judges and (commercial) correctional institutions/authorities force youths into penal institutions for ridiculously inappropriate and lengthy sentences so everyone could pat each other on the back, keep their jobs productive and work together to make money on the whole process. The way a lot of these processes have been arranged makes them easy to manipulate and abuse when wrongdoers desire to do so.
NY Times has an interesting op-ed today that provided an overview of conservatorships for the mentally ill in the US and includes some history:
www.nytimes.com
It almost sounds like this is some type of legally enacted option similar to that system set up in PA that had lawyers, judges and (commercial) correctional institutions/authorities force youths into penal institutions for ridiculously inappropriate and lengthy sentences so everyone could pat each other on the back, keep their jobs productive and work together to make money on the whole process. The way a lot of these processes have been arranged makes them easy to manipulate and abuse when wrongdoers desire to do so.
NY Times has an interesting op-ed today that provided an overview of conservatorships for the mentally ill in the US and includes some history:
Opinion | Britney Spears and the Last Resort of Mental Health Care (Published 2021)
When it comes to involuntary treatment, the line between life-saving and abusive can be thin.
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I've seen that on TV, but I have never run into a lawyer who would accept that deal.
Maybe I just haven't known enough lawyers.
In any case, if someone is controlling her money, then she is, for all intents and purposes, without funds, unless her expenditure is approved.
Brian Wilson, maybe? I'd say his situation was worse. Randy Meisner (one of the Eagles)?
In any case....Mr. Spears, 68, currently oversees Ms. Spears’s nearly $60 million fortune, alongside a professional wealth management firm she requested; a licensed professional conservator took over Ms. Spears’s personal care on an ongoing temporary basis in 2019.
What exactly does her father do if her money is managed by a management firm and her personal care is managed by a professional conservator?
Vagabond
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And Mickey Rooney.
@once_upon your friend could have found these names with an Ecosia search within two minutes if she wanted to. I did.
AxelAnnie
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I have seen way too many lawyers...all in my family. I just hope she gets what is best for her
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misskarne
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I think the real question is: how is anyone, but especially a judge, looking at the horrible misconduct of Britney's father and not immediately questioning the decision to put her under a conservatorship in the first place. It seriously begs the question what kind of misconduct he engaged in to get the conservatorship. And given how difficult it apparently is to end a conservatorship, the fact that a professional company is now involved isn't necessarily a sign she needs it.
missing
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overedge
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I got the impression that at the time the conservatorship started, she didn't object to him being part of it. The judge may have felt that because he was a family member and knew her career and her managers, he would have been OK to run her business affairs temporarily - instead of bringing in someone who would have had to learn the business from scratch and who she might not have felt comfortable with.
FWIW it seemed at the time that the conservatorship was only going to last until she was well enough to resume being in charge of her business and career. I don't think anyone anticipated it would still be in place more than a decade later.
VGThuy
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That write-up makes what is pretty obvious a bit clearer in that this is a much more complicated case than what the public is being led to believe since they judge seems to not have budged with the notion that Spears still cannot handle her own finances. Not to mention Spears has yet to file a petition to end her conservatorship. That said, her broken trust in her father and the pain his position is causing her whether or not his abuse of power is legitimate or imagined should be taken into more serious consideration.
It’s becoming clear that people are learning how one can enter a conservatorship voluntarily, but once you give up that much control over your life, how steep the hill is that you have to climb even to get it modified much less to end it. It sort of makes sense but may end up being too draconian for people, especially for fans of said person who wants it to end
meggonzo
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But he did bring in someone to manage her finances - Andrew Wallet. He resigned in 2019 when Britney stopped performing.
Vagabond
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Apparently, he hasn't been for a while now.
Britney Spears’s father asks court to investigate forced labor and treatment allegations
Jamie Spears said he’s had no power over his daughter’s affairs for nearly two years after pop star called court arrangement ‘abusive’
I can only assume that Britney Spears' court-appointed attorney is aware of all this and that this is why he distanced himself from his clients' statement in court before she made it.
I don't think that the general public has any right to know the specifics of Britney Spears' condition, but if her father's filings are accurate, then she must not be in a good state of mind. I feel sorry for her.
meggonzo
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Here's an article from February about the co-conservators
What To Know About Britney Spears' Former Co-Conservator Andrew Wallet
Andrew Wallet managed Britney Spears' estate and career for over a decade before suddenly stepping down from his role.
VGThuy
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Maybe she wants it done but her lawyer is holding off for one reason or another. Or maybe the lawyer isn't respecting her wishes. Those are just two of the things I came up with just now. Maybe she's the one holding off for now.
Yeah that’s why I was saying earlier that there is probably more to this story.Apparently, he hasn't been for a while now.
Britney Spears’s father asks court to investigate forced labor and treatment allegations
Jamie Spears said he’s had no power over his daughter’s affairs for nearly two years after pop star called court arrangement ‘abusive’www.theguardian.com
I can only assume that Britney Spears' court-appointed attorney is aware of all this and that this is why he distanced himself from his clients' statement in court before she made it.
I don't think that the general public has any right to know the specifics of Britney Spears' condition, but if her father's filings are accurate, then she must not be in a good state of mind. I feel sorry for her.
kwanfan1818
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Artistic Skaters
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That statement from her father sounds like part of the public relations strategy by his legal team that was previously referenced in the NY Times. 
More likely, as Iggy Azalea pointed out in her statement, he is a master at the art of avoiding the appearance of complicity with many of these decisions thanks to his aggressive use of NDAs. Likewise, wouldn't it easily be possible for him to use other manipulative tactics to enforce controls that would give him plausible deniability? For example, could they be negotiating performance contracts on her behalf that have a no pregnancy clause? If so, then it's easy to make it sound like "he" didn't make any decisions about an IUD, because it's been inserted (!) another way. If something like this is possible, it could be that BS is just not good at expressing the details of why it's happening but the result is the same.
I don't know much about her music or other performance activities, but it's been unsettling reading about all this conservatorship business in general. The primary consideration is not supposed to be lucrative business opportunities at the expense of well being and it seems like reforms are needed. Her father gives off the creepy vibes like Kit Culkin. Even Macaulay Culkin was able to get away from his iron fisted father as a young adult, but BS is almost 40 years old.
The Smithsonian weighs in on the topic of the week with an article giving more historical perspective:
www.smithsonianmag.com
More likely, as Iggy Azalea pointed out in her statement, he is a master at the art of avoiding the appearance of complicity with many of these decisions thanks to his aggressive use of NDAs. Likewise, wouldn't it easily be possible for him to use other manipulative tactics to enforce controls that would give him plausible deniability? For example, could they be negotiating performance contracts on her behalf that have a no pregnancy clause? If so, then it's easy to make it sound like "he" didn't make any decisions about an IUD, because it's been inserted (!) another way. If something like this is possible, it could be that BS is just not good at expressing the details of why it's happening but the result is the same.I don't know much about her music or other performance activities, but it's been unsettling reading about all this conservatorship business in general. The primary consideration is not supposed to be lucrative business opportunities at the expense of well being and it seems like reforms are needed. Her father gives off the creepy vibes like Kit Culkin. Even Macaulay Culkin was able to get away from his iron fisted father as a young adult, but BS is almost 40 years old.
The Smithsonian weighs in on the topic of the week with an article giving more historical perspective:
Britney Spears and the Age-Old History of Men Policing Women's Trauma
The singer's conservatorship, on trial this month, recalls the history of hysterectomies, insane asylums, forced contraception, among others
Vagabond
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I have a brother with undiagnosed mental problems who cannot get basic facts such as the terms of a settlement agreement he signed and what the court ordered him to do based on that agreement. Maybe it's all a misogynistic konspiracy against Britney Spears, but I can easily believe that women have the same sort of mental problems that men do.
Lemonade20
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That's true. This conservatorship has gone on far too long already. She was in a bad place many years ago, but we don't really know how well or capable she is today. It's a sad situation and I honestly don't know what will happen next for her.
MacMadame
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Is he performing a hard job at a high level like Spears?
Don't forget that during the time period of this conservatorship, Spears has put out four albums and toured. The bottom line for me is that Spears is working at a high level and, therefore, by definition, she doesn't need a conservatorship because it shows she is capable.
Vagabond
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Yes, at least the last I knew for sure he was. We're not in touch, and he's deleted his social media accounts.
I did look into the grounds for having a conservator appointed a few years ago and concluded that I would not have been able to prove that they existed. Now, however, I don't want to have anything more to do with him.
MacMadame
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That's actually good. My sister is mentally ill and can barely take care of herself. She's okay in the day-to-day but can't deal with anything out of the ordinary.
She's not in a conservatorship though. Another reason I find Spear's situation to be sus.
Japanfan
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At the same time, we can tend to underestimate the capabilities of someone with a mental illness - some of whom are still seen as 'crazy', unfortunately.
