Britney Spears' father is not the villain of her story, according to his lawyer
New Delhi Published: Feb 26, 2021, 07:27 PM(IST)
File image of Britney Spears. Photograph:( Zee News Network )
Jamie Spears was made his daughter's conservator in 2008 after concerns were raised about the star's mental health. A recent documentary 'Framing Britney Spears' has renewed scrutiny of her legal arrangements.
Fans who think Britney Spears' father should not be involved at all in her controversial conservatorship "have it wrong", according to his lawyer. In an interview with ABC News, Vivian Thoreen, Jamie Spears lawyer, called the pop star's father a "fiercely loving, dedicated and loyal father" who had stopped her from being exploited.
Jamie Spears was made his daughter's conservator in 2008 after concerns were raised about the star's mental health. A recent documentary 'Framing Britney Spears' has renewed scrutiny of her legal arrangements as #FreeBritneySpears movement gained momentum among the fans.
"I understand that every story needs a villain but people have it so wrong here," Thoreen told ABC's Good Morning America She added that unnamed people had been "harming and exploiting" the singer and that Mr. Spears had "rescued" her from "a life-threatening situation".
"Britney's assets were clearly being mismanaged and she was being taken advantage of financially by some of those around her," the lawyer continued.
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She added that Mr. Spears had "collaborated" with his daughter, now 39, so that she could "live her life the way she wants, like a normal person".
A conservatorship is usually granted for people who are unable to make their own decisions, like those with dementia or other mental illnesses.
As per BBC, last November the singer lost a legal attempt to remove her father's control over her estate, currently worth around $60m (£43m), but in February this year, a judge denied a request by Mr. Spears to exert greater control over her finances.
According to Britney's lawyer, Britney and her father have no "viable working relationship" and have not spoken in a "long while".
Thoreen stated otherwise, claiming they had spent time together last year and she had never voiced a wish to have him removed from the conservatorship.
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"Early on in the pandemic they spent two weeks with other family members, hunkered down in Louisiana, and they spent a lot of time together," she said.
"In that time, Britney never expressed those words to her father. She's never asked him to step aside."
On Britney's lawyer saying she will never perform again while her father oversees her life, Thoreen defended Jamie. She said, "He has collaborated with her to help her regain custody of her children. He has brought her finances back from disaster. And he's created a safe environment for her to live her life the way she wants, away from the media that cause her so much pain."
Spears revived her career after her breakdown but she pulled out of a Las Vegas concert residency last year and briefly entered a mental health facility. She has not performed publicly since October 2018.
Outside the courthouse, some two dozen fans from the #FreeBritney campaign held a demonstration, shouting 'The conservatorship has got to go!'
Supporters of the campaign believe Spears is being kept prisoner and that she is sending cryptic signals begging to be freed through her social media accounts, which usually consist of selfies or her dancing at home.
Spears has not publicly commented on the campaign but her father in a recent interview has dismissed it as a joke. The American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) on Wednesday offered its support to Spears.
"If Britney Spears wants to regain her civil liberties and get out of her conservatorship, we are here to help her," the ACLU wrote in a tweet.
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