Lawyers for Britney Spears’ father has said he has “nothing to hide”, as the singer wants her conservatorship case made public.
The popstar is currently fighting to block her father, Jamie Spears, from being reinstated as her conservator – after he stepped down last year due to ill health.
In Los Angeles Superior Court on Wednesday, lawyers for the singer said that she was “vehemently opposed” to her father’s effort to “keep her legal struggle hidden away” – and wanted the details of her conservatorship case unsealed.
Meanwhile her father’s lawyer told the court he had “nothing to hide”, but wanted to make sure Britney understood the implications of opening the case up to public scrutiny.
The 38-year-old singer did not appear in court, with the lawyers taking part in the hearing by audio.
Geraldine Wyle, who represents Jamie, said her client’s concerns were for the privacy of his daughter and her two sons.
She added that Jamie was concerned over his daughter’s medical records being made public.
The lawyer said that while her client had “nothing to hide”, he wanted to hear directly from either his daughter or Jodi Montgomery – the conservator for the singer’s personal affairs.
She said that one of the two should “potentially weigh in so that we are certain everyone is aware what exactly is being waived and the consequences of having information that is possibly harmful” if the conservatorship details were made public.
Samuel D Ingham III, representing Britney, said he was in favour of pushing the hearing back “in the interests of getting it right”.
Judge Brenda J Penny said she had a preliminary ruling to deny the motion to seal recent court filings, but was deferring it to November 10.
The news comes as Britney finally addressed the #FreeBritney movement earlier this month, with court documents shedding light on Britney’s feelings surrounding the movement.
#FreeBritney is an online movement started by fans who believe the 38-year-old is being held against her will due to her conservatorship.
In official documents obtained by E! News, Britney’s lawyer seemed to reference the movement – as he explained why the singer doesn’t want information on her conservatorship to be sealed.
The documents state: “Britney strongly believes it is consistent not only with her personal best interests but also with good public policy generally that the decision to appoint a new conservator of her estate be made in as open and transparent a manner as possible.”
“The sealing motion is supposedly being brought by her father to ‘protect’ Britney’s interests, but she is adamantly opposed to it.”
Britney’s lawyer also referenced comments Jamie recently made about the #FreeBritney movement during an interview with Page Six.
The documents continue: “Britney’s conservatorship has attracted an unprecedented level of scrutiny from mainstream media and social media alike.”
“Far from being a conspiracy theory or a ‘joke’ as James reportedly told the media, in large part this scrutiny is a reasonable and even predictable result of James’ aggressive use of the sealing procedure over the years to minimize the amount of meaningful information made available to the public.”
“Whatever merits his strategy might have had years ago when Britney was trying to restart her career, at this point in her life when she is trying to regain some measure of personal autonomy, Britney welcomes and appreciates the informed support of her many fans.”
Her lawyer states: “Transparency is an essential component in order for this Court to earn and retain the public’s confidence with respect to protective proceedings like this one. In this case, it is not a exaggeration to say that the whole world is watching.”
Britney was placed under a conservatorship after she suffered an alleged breakdown back in 2008.
A conservatorship is granted to those who are incapable of making decisions, such as people with mental disabilities.
The arrangement put her estate, financial assets, and some personal assets under the control of her father Jamie Spears, and lawyer Andrew Wallet – who resigned from the role early last year.
Jamie served as her conservator for over ten years before he stepped down in September 2019, and was replaced by Britney’s longtime care manager Jodi Montgomery.
The singer’s conservatorship has been under review since last year, after she accused her father of forcing her to enter a mental health facility.
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