Britney Spears’ lawyer has claimed the singer is “afraid” of her father Jamie Spears, amid her ongoing conservatorship battle.
During a court hearing in Los Angeles on Tuesday, Judge Brenda Penny declined to suspend James Spears from his role in Britney’s conservatorship – after her attorney Samuel Ingham filed a petition to have him removed.
However, the judge said she would consider future petitions for his suspension or outright removal.
In court, Britney’s lawyer said: “My client has informed me that she is afraid of her father. She will not perform again if her father is in charge of her career.”
The judge also approved that corporate fiduciary, the Bessemer Trust, will now serve as co-conservator over Britney’s estate along with her father.
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.
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.
Last May, Britney appeared in court alongside her parents to speak to a judge who oversees her conservatorship.
Britney’s father Jamie had been in charge of his daughter’s assets since the conservatorship was established, however the agreement doesn’t give him the power to put her into a facility without her consent.
At the time, Britney demanded more freedom, and told a judge that her father made her check into a Los Angeles unit for 30 days on April 3, 2019 – after she stopped taking her doctor-prescribed medication.
After hearing Britney speak in court, the judge ordered an 730 expert evaluation, a process usually used to determine the mental health and competence of a parent in a divorce case.
