Britney Spears has appeared to offer her seal of approval to the continued scrutiny of her conservatorship, with her lawyer saying in new court papers that she 'welcomes and appreciates the informed support of her many fans'.
Since her public breakdown in 2007, Britney has been under a conservatorship - meaning she must seek permission before making significant decisions related to her affairs, including financial - with her father, Jamie, acting as conservator for most of that time. However, when Jamie became ill, the conservator role was taken over by Britney's manager Jodi Montgomery.
Now, in a new development, Britney is petitioning for her father to be permanently removed from the role, and for wealth management company The Bessemer Trust to be appointed as custodians of her £42.5m fortune. The new filing comes after her father wanted to seal a recent filing in the case.
Her lawyer Samuel Ingham III said Britney is 'vehemently opposed to this effort by her father to keep her legal struggle hidden away in the closet as a family secret' in the court documents, adding; 'The sealing motion is supposedly being brought by her father to "protect" Britney's interests, but she is adamantly opposed to it.'
The lawyer added that Britney appreciates the #FreeBritney movement, which has high profile supporters like Miley Cyrus. 'At this point in her life when she is trying to regain some measure of personal autonomy, Britney welcomes and appreciates the informed support of her many fans,' Ingham added.
Jamie Spears has previously called the #FreeBritney movement 'a joke', branding supporters 'conspiracy theorists'.
But Ingham challenged this in the latest court filing. 'Britney's conservatorship has attracted an unprecedented level of scrutiny from mainstream media and social media alike,' said the court papers. 'Far from being a conspiracy theory or a "joke" as James reportedly told the media, in large part this scrutiny is a reasonable and even predictable result of James' aggressive use of the sealing procedure over the years to minimise the amount of meaningful information made available to the public.'
Britney indicated in a filing earlier this week that she was happy for the conservatorship to continue - calling it "voluntary" - but she no longer wants her father to be in charge of her affairs.
The case continues.
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