Britney Spears‘ father Jamie is fighting to keep control of the singer’s conservatorship despite her pleas to have him removed.
According to court documents obtained by The Blast, Jamie is objecting to Bessemer Trust Company being appointed Co-Conservator of Britney’s estate. He has been fighting the request for months. Britney has been making moves to strip her father of his power over her career, finances, and life. Britney’s own mother, Lynne Spears, agrees with her daughter and told the court Jamie should be removed immediately.
Jamie, who has been in control for over a decade, is fighting tooth and nail to not be taken off. Bessemer Trust was recently put on as co-conservator of the estate but Jamie believes the court order needs to be modified to not strip him of any of his roles.
“Anytime there’s that amount of money to be made, you have to question the motives of everyone close to that person.” #NYTPresents: Framing Britney Spears premieres Feb. 5 on @FXNetworks and @Hulu. pic.twitter.com/Nr8GbWypTJ
— FX Documentaries (@FXDocs) January 29, 2021
In newly filed documents, Jamie’s lawyer writes, “As noted above, the Proposed Order purports to establish powers to be exercised jointly by Mr. Spears and Bessemer Trust, but the Petition filed by Mr. Ingham and the order of the Court addressed only the appointment of Bessemer Trust. Neither the Petition nor the Court’s order modified the powers previously conferred upon Mr. Spears.”
Jamie says he should still have the ability to open trust accounts for Britney that benefit her. He wants the “the power to assert the Conservatee’s rights in any trust established for her benefit – should be added to the Proposed Order.
Jamie also doesn’t’ want to lose the right to make decisions on where to invest Britney’s money. He says the court originally gave him the right to make these decisions. However, he says the proposed order that was the result of a recent court hearing gave Bessemer Trust the same powers to invest.
He is asking the court to amend the proposed order. Jamie wants complete control over the investments. His lawyer wrote, “Mr. Spears should retain the power to delegate these investment powers to Bessemer Trust or, if Bessemer Trust should no longer be acting as co-conservator, to another professional in accordance with the prudent investor rule and the conservative portfolio allocations of the Conservatorship assets to professional investment advisors as set forth in prior orders of this Court.”
Jamie also wants it to be clear that the court DENIED Britney’s request to remove him as conservator (for the time being). He is asking for the amendment to read, “The Court DENIES without prejudice the relief requested to suspend James P. Spears immediately upon the appointment of Bessemer Trust as sole conservator of the Estate”
Britney is still attempting to ax him from her life completely.
The court drama continues to unfold while an FX documentary about the situation titled “Framing Britney Spears” is set to premiere this month. The film producers spoke to a bunch of people who used to be in Britney’s inner circle before she was placed into a conservatorship by the court.
Britney’s former lawyer, Adam Streisand, appears in the film spilling all the tea about his time with the “Toxic” singer. He was brought on after Britney was hospitalized and before she was placed in a long-term conservatorship. He told the court he was hired by Britney to represent her. However, the judge did not allow him to be her lawyer citing medical records as the reason. Adam claims the judge never explained the reason why he wasn’t allowed to fight for Britney in the case.
At the time, he said Britney never appeared crazy, “just agitated. She understood the concept of a conservatorship but did not want her father to be the conservator.”
Another person who talked to producers was Britney’s former longtime assistant and close friend, Felicia Culotta who didn’t understand the need for putting Britney under the court-ordered conservatorship.
She said she “didn’t then nor do I now understand what a conservatorship is.” However, she said she knows “firsthand what Britney is capable of” given her many accomplishments.
