Jamie Spears is again defending his role as conservative of his daughter Britney, while Republicans in Congress call a hearing on court-ordered guardianships.
“Whenever Britney wants to end her guardianship, she can ask her lawyer to file a petition to end it; she has always had that right, but in 13 years she has never exercised it, ”said Vivian L. Thoreen, a lawyer for Jamie Spears, this week. “Britney knows that her father loves her, and that he will be there for her when and if she needs him, just as he has always been – in guardianship or not.”
The pop star has been under legal guardianship for more than a decade and essentially had a court-appointed guardian – her father – after a public collapse in 2007. In 2020, she petitioned for her father to be removed from her guardianship, with her lawyer saying Britney Spears was “scared” of Jamie Spears.
The move renewed interest in guardianship, and court proceedings made national headlines and fueled fans’ reaction to the family’s handling of the property. Criticisms of guardianship – and specifically of Jamie Spears as the only conservative – increased after the release, this year, of the New York Times documentary, “Framing Britney Spears”.
This week, Representatives Matt Gaetz of Florida and Jim Jordan of Ohio requested that the House Judiciary Committee hold a hearing on court-ordered guardianships, specifically referring to the #FreeBritney movement.
“In recent years, there has been a growing public concern about the use of guardianships to effectively deprive individuals of their personal liberties at the behest of others through the manipulation of the courts,” they wrote when requesting the hearing.
“The most striking example is perhaps the case of multi-platinum artist Britney Spears,” said the letter.
But Thoreen cited Jamie Spears’ conservative role as a way in which his daughter was able to regain custody of her children, recover her finances from the disaster and create an environment for her to live away from the media.
Jamie Spears’ goal “has always been to do what’s best for Britney,” said Thoreen, adding that when Jamie Spears took over as conservative in 2008, court records show, the star’s assets were worth $ 2.8 million and she was in debt, but today she has assets of almost $ 60 million.
Spears’ manager, advisor and lawyer did not immediately return requests for comment on Wednesday.
Her father “fulfilled his duties as a tutor to Britney with the kind of dedication and diligence that only a family member – who only a father who loves his daughter unconditionally – can,” said Thoreen.
Jamie Spears was named his daughter’s only conservative in 2019, following the resignation of his former co-conservative Andrew Wallet. Britney Spears’ lawyer, Samuel D. Ingham III, argued last year that the singer was afraid of her father and preferred a professional financial institution to take over her assets.
Los Angeles Superior Court Judge Brenda Penny denied the petition, but named the financial company Bessemer Trust as co-conservative along with James Spears. Penny also confirmed the decision last month at a hearing in which she ordered Bessemer Trust and Jamie Spears to work together to create a budget plan for the singer.
“The court instituted guardianship precisely because Britney’s life and health were at risk and people were taking advantage of her financially,” said Thoreen. “Thanks to Jamie’s efforts, Britney’s estate is now able to look after Britney and her children for the rest of their lives, as long as no one is allowed to explore or take advantage of her again. “
Ingham reiterated to the court last month that “it was no secret” that Britney Spears did not want her father as her conservative.
A guardianship hearing is scheduled for March 17.
