Britney Spears conservatorship case
On February 1, 2008, American singer Britney Spears was placed under a conservatorship by Judge Reva Goetz, with her father, James "Jamie" Spears, and attorney Andrew M. Wallet, as conservators. The conservatorship lasted until November 12, 2021.
The management of the conservatorship by Jamie, Wallet, and Spears's former business manager Lou M. Taylor, among other parties, generated controversy almost immediately. While Spears was held on an involuntary psychiatric hold in early 2008 for alleged mental health concerns, there was initially a temporary conservatorship intended to last only days. It was extended to months and eventually made permanent, against the objections of Spears.
In 2019, Spears's career was put on hiatus when her father was hospitalized and she checked into a mental health facility, citing stress over her father's health. Shortly thereafter, details of the conservatorship leaked from inside the management team. Spears's longtime discontent with the conservatorship came to light in personal accounts and investigative reporting. Jamie's legal team maintained that the conservatorship was in Spears's best interests, and sought to keep it in place. In 2020, a social movement calling for termination of the conservatorship, #FreeBritney, attracted worldwide media attention, and grew dramatically following the release of a 2021 television documentary on the issue.
In June 2021, Spears made her first public statement in court proceedings and asked to terminate her conservatorship. She accused her father, family, and management of abuse, detailing instances of mistreatment, coercion, and conflict of interest. On July 14, Judge Brenda Penny granted Spears the right to choose her own attorney, former federal prosecutor Mathew Rosengart of Greenberg Traurig. On September 7, Jamie and his team reversed position and filed to terminate the conservatorship, allegedly to avoid discovery and deposition. Penny suspended Jamie on September 29, replacing him with accountant John Zabel; this allowed the conservatorship to continue until its termination. On November 12, Penny formally terminated the conservatorship.
The dispute and subsequent termination made Spears a symbol of conservatorship law reform and human rights across the United States, and served as precedent for legislation designed to combat such abuse on a state and federal level. The revelations of abuse and mistreatment endured by Spears during this arrangement as well as years in public life led to a reassessment of her legacy and public image, which was heavily distorted by the media and tabloids in the years leading up to her highly publicized breakdown.
Background
Britney Spears is an American singer, songwriter, dancer, and actress. Often referred to as the "Princess of Pop", she is credited with influencing the revival of teen pop during the late 1990s and early 2000s. Spears has sold more than 150 million records worldwide, including over 70 million in the United States, making her one of the world's best-selling music artists.For a number of years, Spears's personal struggles were widely publicized by the media. Amid these struggles, and potentially as early as 2005, Spears's father Jamie had "prayed and fasted" with business manager Lou M. Taylor to place Spears in a conservatorship.
In September 2006, Spears gave birth to her second son, Jayden James, with then-husband Kevin Federline. It was speculated that Spears suffered from postpartum depression. In November, Spears filed for divorce, citing irreconcilable differences. She and Federline reached a global settlement in July 2007 and agreed to share custody of their two sons.
In January 2007, Spears lost her aunt, with whom she was close, to ovarian cancer. In February, she shaved her head in a Los Angeles hair salon and attacked a paparazzo's car with an umbrella. In the following weeks and months, she was in and out of treatment facilities, and was often seen with associate Sam Lutfi, later accused of being a negative influence and against whom many restraining orders were issued. She also began a brief relationship with paparazzo Adnan Ghalib.
In April, Spears fired manager Larry Rudolph and mocked his team, sarcastically referencing a woman telling her to "go to the light and see Jesus". This was a decision her family disagreed with. Spears embarked on The M+M's Tour in May. In September, she was charged with misdemeanor counts, including a hit-and-run, after crashing into a parked car; that same month, she performed "Gimme More", the lead single to her then-upcoming fifth album, at the 2007 MTV Video Music Awards. The performance was extensively panned by critics, who criticized her choreography, and stage presence; it also generated a viral response in Cara Cunningham's "Leave Britney Alone!" YouTube video.
In October 2007, Spears lost custody of her two sons for undisclosed reasons. Later that month, she released Blackout ''. It was her first album not to reach the top of the Billboard'' 200 because of a last-minute change in how album sales were counted, yet it has become widely considered her best and most influential work. Two months later, it was revealed that the Los Angeles County Department of Children and Family Services was investigating "multiple child abuse and neglect" allegations in court documents related to Spears's and Federline's custody battle.
Legal conservatorships
Conservatorship is a legal concept in the United States whereby a guardian is appointed by a judge to manage the financial affairs and/or daily life of another person because of physical or mental limitations. A person under conservatorship is a "conservatee," a term that can refer to an adult. A conservatorship may also apply to corporations and organizations. Spears was under a probate conservatorship, a type of conservatorship that typically lasts indefinitely and is used when the affected person is not expected to improve. The conservatorship may be of the "estate", wherein the conservator manages the conservatee's financial affairs and other monetary transactions. It may also be of the "person", wherein the conservator takes charge of overseeing the daily activities, such as health care or living arrangements, of the conservatee.Spears was under both a conservatorship of the estate and of the person. As of September 2021, John Zabel was the conservator of Spears's estate; Jamie Spears served as conservator of the estate from 2008 until his suspension in 2021, and co-conserved with attorney Andrew M. Wallet from 2008 until his resignation in 2019. Briefly, Bessemer Trust was approved to co-conserve Spears's estate alongside Jamie in 2021 but withdrew days after her June 23 public testimony and official approval.
Care manager Jodi Pais Montgomery was the conservator of Spears's person; previously, Jamie was the sole conservator of the person from 2008 until resignation in 2019. Spears's former fiancé and agent Jason Trawick also served briefly as co-conservator of the person from 2012 until 2013.
Timeline
2008: Conservatorship established
Temporary conservatorship and initial dispute
On January 3, 2008, Spears isolated herself with two-year-old son Sean Preston and one-year-old son Jayden James in a bathroom, refusing to relinquish custody to Federline and his representatives as her visitation time ended. Spears's elder son Sean Preston had already been surrendered to her bodyguard. Federline called the authorities, who responded to Spears's residence. She was taken to Cedars-Sinai Medical Center amid paparazzi attention, placed under a 5150 involuntary psychiatric hold, and had her mental state evaluated. During the hold, Spears lost visitation rights, and Federline gained sole custody. Spears was released after 24 hours when doctors determined she was stable.After her hospitalization, Jamie, his lawyer Geraldine Wyle, and Taylor exchanged alleged emails discussing potential conservators, including Taylor herself or her management company Tri Star Sports & Entertainment Group. They discussed judges for the case, specifically voicing concern for one who " not give Jamie the power to administer psychotropic drugs" to Spears.
On January 31, Spears was placed under a second hold at the UCLA Medical Center. She was escorted from her home by a motorcade of ambulances, helicopters, and police. The reason for this second hold is disputed. A Spears source stated it was due to her refusal to take prescribed drugs, while other sources say it was requested by her psychiatrist after he determined its necessity. Lutfi said she went "willingly". In 2021, family friend Jaqueline Butcher cited a motivation for the hold as a means to remove Spears from Lutfi's influence, and that it came at her doctor's request.
On February 1, Los Angeles County Superior Court Commissioner Reva Goetz placed Spears and her estate in a temporary conservatorship at the request of Jamie, who became co-conservator alongside attorney Andrew M. Wallet. The approval process under Goetz reportedly took ten minutes. The petition claimed that Spears suffered from dementia; this was not corroborated by medical documents, including examinations that included the name of a doctor, J. Edward Spar.
On February 4, Spears contacted Adam Streisand while hospitalized to represent her, but he was released from court after lawyers determined Spears "lack the capacity to retain counsel". At this point, Samuel D. Ingham III became Spears's court-appointed attorney, while Vivian Lee Thoreen had begun to represent Jamie. The conservatorship was intended to last until this date; despite this, it was still in place on February 6, when Spears was released from the hold.
On February 22, Spears hired attorney Jon Eardley, who argued that her civil rights were being violated under the conservatorship, as it was established without "necessary five days notice" to Spears, and thus was invalid; he attempted to take the issue to federal court. Again, an attorney for Jamie filed that Spears was not fit to hire counsel, and Eardley was released from court on February 25.
On March 10, Goetz gave Spears a $1,500 weekly allowance and had her legal fees reduced as a result of financial obligations to Federline regarding custody. Spears continued to undergo psychological evaluations. Additionally, she was allowed to retain her entertainment lawyer, permitting her to appear as a guest star in the American TV sitcom How I Met Your Mother.