Britney Spears’ Conservatorship Battle

New Details On The Pop Star’s Legal Troubles and Student’s Reactions

Updates on Britney Spears's conservatorship battle. Photo by West Virgina Boy on Flickr.

For much of Britney Spears’ 13-year conservatorship, new developments have been few and far between. Much to the dismay of her loyal fans and the singer herself, attempts at gaining autonomy over her own life have mostly failed to gain traction over the years, leading to frustration and the formation of the #FreeBritney movement. However, in the wake of the “Framing Britney Spears” documentary published by the New York Times in February, the movement has been picking up steam and new developments are rolling in at a breakneck pace.

This progression of events was in no small part aided by the bombshell court testimonies Spears made in June and July, in which she alleged abuses at the hands of her conservators. These alleged abuses include her team forcing Spears to take lithium, keep an IUD in her body and tour against her will throughout the course of her conservatorship. Spears, who was originally placed into a conservatorship for her own protection after suffering through a mental breakdown and dementia diagnosis in 2008, argued the conservatorship was harming her and she “just wants her life back” during the June hearing.

Naturally, this testimony led to public outcry, resulting in intense scrutiny of those involved and causing wholesale changes to the conservatorship. Public perception of the arrangement has largely shifted in favor of Spears' side of the story, fueled by fans such as Ava Winkler ‘25, who is disgusted at the recent revelations.

“I know about the conservatorship, I think that Britney shouldn’t be under it,” Winkler said. “I know all about how [her family] steals her money, and it’s just the control… she isn’t even allowed to drive a car,” said Winkler.

Winkler, who has stayed informed about the controversy by watching YouTube videos, is not alone in her disdain for the Spears family. Numerous relatives of Spears, such as her sister Jamie Lynn Spears and her father Jamie Spears, have been the subject of public ridicule for how they’ve controlled Spears’ life and finances through the conservatorship. Chief among the skepticism related to the handling of Spears’ money is the fact that she is only reported to be worth around $60 million, despite grossing hundreds of millions a year while being forced to tour.

While her father Jamie has shouldered much of the blame for the financial mystery surrounding the singer, sister Jamie Lynn has also been the target of frustrated fans and advocates who claim that she has taken advantage of her sister’s career for her own benefit. Critics have also pointed out that Jamie Lynn has failed to support her sister publicly until recently. 

“Jamie Lynn Spears is diabolical. She just wants the money from her sister and she’s mad that Britney is more famous than her,” said Sarah Athanasia ‘25. She is just one of a chorus of fans who have accused Spears’ younger sister of wrongdoing, prompting her to disable public commenting on her Instagram account. 

As the firestorm picked up in its ferocity, the criticism has been extended to those well outside of the Spears family, which resulted in the unfolding of numerous key events. Bessemer Trust, an investment management company that was listed as a co-conservator entrusted with managing many of Spears’ finances, relinquished its role within the conservatorship to avoid backlash. 

Additionally, numerous members of Spears’ team resigned from their roles due to the intense public backlash they received. Perhaps most significantly, Spears’ mother Lynne Spears filed a motion in court demanding that her daughter be allowed to select her own attorney, which was considered a surprising development from the pop star’s typically passive mother.

This led judge Brenda Penny of the Los Angeles Superior Court to grant Spears the right to select her own attorney for the first time in 13 years, guaranteeing that Spears would have legal representation working in her best interest. In mid-July, she promptly hired high-profile attorney Matthew Rosengart, who has since served as both her lawyer and public spokesperson.

The most surprising development came in early September from father Jamie Spears, who decided after years of being chastised by the public to file a petition to end the conservatorship. In a statement put out by his team, he indicated his newfound willingness to allow his daughter to control her own life.

"If Ms. Spears wants to terminate the conservatorship and believes that she can handle her own life, Mr. Spears believes that she should get that chance,” the statement read.

Almost immediately following this announcement, Spears revealed that she and her boyfriend of five years, Sam Asghari, were engaged. Spears previously made it known that she was forbidden to marry while under the conservatorship, perhaps signaling that the changes within the arrangement are now under effect.

“I was really happy for her, I feel like [Asghari] is a really good guy for her. He will help her out of the situation that she’s in,” said Emma Swanzey ‘25. She, like many other fans, was thrilled to hear that the conservatorship is potentially coming to an end.

“Britney is the moment of our generation, and as soon as she is free, I feel like she will have her comeback era, and that will change everything,” Swanzey said.