Britney Spears, 39, was granted the right to hire her own lawyer after she spoke to Judge Brenda J. Penny during a July 14 court hearing. The pop star, who is seeking to be free of her strict conservatorship, will now be represented by Matthew Rosengart of Greenberg Traurig, LLP going forward. Rosengart is a former federal prosecutor — serving as a Supervisory Assistant United States Attorney and Justice Department Trial Attorney in the past — who has also worked with high profile celebrities in Hollywood like Sean Penn.
“I’m here to get rid of my dad and charge him with conservatorship abuse,” an emotional Britney reportedly said in her second testimony, according to MSNBC. “This conservatorship has allowed my dad to ruin my life…Their goal was to make me feel crazy and I’m not,” she also reportedly urged. In other quotes published by TMZ, Britney said “there should be no threats to me at all, ever. I have serious abandonment issues.”
In her June 23 testimony, she asked to “actually handpick my own lawyer by myself,” noting that past lawyer Sam Ingham was “scared” for the pop star to go forward. On July 14, TMZ also reported that newly appointed lawyer Rosengart spoke, and said if Jamie Spears loves his daughter “he would resign today.”
Britney’s boyfriend Sam Asghari, 27, seemingly reacted to Britney’s good news with posts of his own. The model shared a black-and-white image of a lioness to his Instagram account and story, along with a .GIF sticker that read “#FreeBritney.”
Britney also once again said on July 14 that she wishes to “press charges” against her father “today.” She went on to say her past lawyer Sam “didn’t fight for me one time” and that she was “so angry,” per CNN. “I am so angry. I will go there. No, I am not perfect. I am not crazy. My family never cared,” she said according to the network. “If this is not abuse. I do not know what that is. I want Jodi Montgomery’s help to get back into the real world,” she added, naming her personal conservator (her father Jamie is conservator of her estate and business affairs).
The new developments in Britney’s case come after her manager, Larry Rudolph, and court-appointed lawyer in the conservatorship, Sam Ingham, stepped down from their respective positions. Bessemer Trust, the wealth management company that had been appointed as a co-conservator with Britney’s father, Jamie Spears, also filed paperwork to withdraw. Britney is currently attempting to get herself a new attorney, which she’s been unable to do under the conservatorship.
Britney first spoke to a court on June 23. At that hearing, she slammed the conservatorship and leveled a number of startling accusations at her father, whom she compared to a “sex trafficker” who “loved” having control over the superstar. “I’ve been in shock. I am traumatized,” Britney said during the live streamed hearing. “I just want my life back.” Prior to the first hearing, Britney had filed to remove Jamie from his post as co-conservator, but the request was denied.
But now that she has a new attorney, Britney may have a fighting chance at finally ending her conservatorship. The entire situation became a hot-button topic following the release of Framing Britney Spears, the 2021 Hulu documentary that offered a closer look at the conservatorship. Even prior to the documentary, fans of Britney created #FreeBritney, a movement that has called for the conservatorship to end.