UPDATE: On Tuesday, November 10, Los Angeles superior court judge Brenda Penny declined Britney Spears‘ bid to remove her father James Spears from the conservatorship of her estate, according to HollywoodLife‘s sister publication, Variety. However, the outlet states that the judge did not rule out future petitions for James’ removal or suspension. “My client has informed me that she is afraid of her father,” Britney’s attorney Samuel D. Ingham III told the judge, according to Variety, adding, “She will not perform again if her father is in charge of her career.”
ORIGINAL: Britney Spears‘ conservatorship case just took a revealing turn, as her lawyer reportedly told a judge that the pop superstar will not return to performing as long as her dad Jamie Spears has any oversight or control over her career. The bombshell claim happened during a Nov. 10 hearing in Los Angeles to determine whether or not the 68-year-old will remain co-conservator over his 38-year-old daughter, according to Us Weekly. Britney’s attorney also claimed that she’s scared of her dad.
“My client has informed me that she is afraid of her father. She also stated that she will not perform as long as her father is in charge of her career,” Samuel D. Ingham III claimed during the hearing. “We are really at a crossroads.”
The publication reported one of Jamie’s lawyers Vivian Lee Thoreen said Britney’s claim was hearsay and argued that Ingham hasn’t allowed Jamie to speak with his daughter. The judge ended up allowing Jamie to remain in his position as conservator over Britney’s estate for now, and moved the hearing to a future date. HollywoodLife has reached out to both Britney and Jamie’s reps for comment on this new development.
This is the latest development in Brit’s fight to have her father removed as her conservator. On Nov. 3, her lawyer filed paperwork stating that the pop princess now “wishes” for the private equity firm Bessemer Trust Company to be “the sole conservator of her estate,” in court documents obtained by HollywoodLife.
This wish, if granted, would strip Britney’s dad from his conservator position that he’s held since 2008, when the singer suffered a very public breakdown. The only exception came during the temporary period in Sept. 2019 when he stepped down from the position for “personal health” reasons. Jodi Montgomery was then appointed as conservator of Britney’s “person” — something that Brit has not opposed — though Jamie has since retained control of her estate.
Britney was set to return to performing with a new Las Vegas residency called Britney: Domination in Feb. 2019. But she cancelled it a month prior to the opening after her father’s health didn’t improve following a spontaneously ruptured colon in Oct. 2018. She told fans in a Jan. 4, 2019 Instagram post, “A couple of months ago, my father was hospitalized and almost died. We’re all so grateful that he came out of it alive, but he still has a long road ahead of him. I had to make the difficult decision to put my full focus and energy on my family at this time. I hope you all can understand.” Relations between the two have since gone downhill, and Britney never rescheduled her residency. She also has not released a new album since 2016’s Glory.