A Los Angeles judge denied Britney Spears’ request to free the princess of pop from the prison of her ongoing decade-long conservatorship Wednesday. That means her father will continue to dictate the 38-year-old’s whereabouts and finances over her mother’s objections.
In response, Britney’s lawyer said the superstar would refuse to participate in any shows until her father is removed from the conservatorship controlling her life, adding that she is scared of the man in charge of all her money, who she sees, what she does, and where she goes.
“My client has informed me that she is afraid of her father,” Britney’s attorney Samuel D. Ingham III told the judge during a virtual hearing. “She will not perform again if her father is in charge of her career.”
That Britney won’t be performing any shows soon as live performances appear on the horizon in light of an effective coronavirus vaccine is a sad statement. The circumstances surrounding Britney’s seemingly never-ending career halt are even sadder.
Imagine being terrified of your father. Many unfortunately are. But now imagine being terrified of your father whom you’re also paying a six-figure salary to watch over you while forcing you to pay upwards of $1.1 million in conservatorship fees, under which you’re given as much control of your life as an 89-year-old with dementia.
Britney isn’t working. She has no reason to work. Why continue to make your family a fortune when you legally have no say in how you enjoy the fruits of your own labor?
Conservatorships are legal arrangements preserved for those suffering from debilitating conditions, including severe mental health issues or old age. A judge may grant full control of one’s daily life, living arrangements, health decisions, and finances if the court deems it necessary.
Britney was first placed under control of her father in the arrangement in 2008 following a public meltdown. What was supposed to be a “temporary” conservatorship quickly morphed into a permanent one that has now last 12 years.
An attorney named Andrew Wallet, who served as co-conservator from 2008 until his resignation in 2019 said, according to Variety, that the conservatorship could extend to the rest of Britney’s life.
A look at Britney’s public life over the last 12 years illustrates a highly productive individual who appears far from debilitated, much less in need of her family to keep the chains on her everyday life. Since 2008, Britney has released four albums, gone on three world tours, completed a four-year residency in Las Vegas, starred as a host on the “X Factor,” and made cameo appearances on “Glee” and “How I Met Your Mother.”
If Britney has been experiencing episodes of severe mental stress, they’ve been well hidden from the very public life she’s led under the bondage of conservatorship enriching the family keeping her bound.
