By Ella Chen
Under U.S. law, conservatorship is the appointment of a guardian or a protector by a judge to manage the financial affairs and/or daily life of another person due to old age or physical or mental limitations. Britney Spears has been in a conservatorship for the last 13 years. A court case is scheduled for Wednesday at Los Angeles Superior Court, the first return to court after Spears herself spoke to the judge just last month, pleading for her conservatorship to end.
In February, The Times released a documentary, “Framing Britney Spears,” telling the story of a gifted performer surrounded by people seeking to capitalize her, while dealing with the pressure of constant media attention and speculation about her health. This led to renewed attention in Spears’s conservatorship. The film also explored the #FreeBritney movement, a campaign made by fans that depicts her conservatorship as a money-hungry machine that wants to exert total control over the singer.
Britney Spears was placed in conservatorship by her father, Jamie Spears, in 2008, following a succession of public struggles and concerns about her mental health and substance abuse. Recently obtained records state that Spears objected to her father playing that role since 2014, mentioning his drinking and other issues. A 2016 report said she expressed that “the conservatorship has become an oppressive and controlling tool against her” and she is “sick of being taken advantage of.”
Sources:
https://www.nytimes.com/article/britney-spears-conservatorship.html