Britney Spears’ father lost court battle Thursday, as the judge overruled his objection to an order assigning a financial institution as a co-conservator of his daughter’s estate.
Last August, the 39-year-old iconic singer filed a petition in Los Angeles Superior Court to remove her father, James “Jamie” Spears, as her conservator.
Jamie has controlled his daughter’s finances since 2008, during the time when the Britney suffered a series of public breakdowns, including shaving her head and attacking photographers with an umbrella.
Back then, the court ordered a conservatorship to be implemented, giving the elder Spears full control over Britney’s financial and personal decisions.
In November, Los Angeles Superior Court Judge Brenda Penny denied Britney’s petition but agreed to appoint the financial company Bessemer Trust as co-conservator of her estate.
Britney Spears’ attorney, Samuel Ingham, submitted a proposed order to set the co-conservatorship in motion afterwards.
Ingham asserted that the purpose of the order was to ensure “ an equal division of responsibility” between Jamie and Bessemer, “in the hopes that they would sit down and figure out together the best way to handle this complex estate for the benefit of my client.”
“It’s no secret that my client does not want her father as co-conservator, but we recognize that removal is a separate issue,” said Ingham.
However, Jamie Spears’ attorney objected the proposed order, as it improperly reduced his powers over Britney’s estate.
“There’s no intent or desire to create unequal power or decision-making as between the two, your honor,” Jamie’s attorney, Vivian Thoreen, argued.
“This is a way to make it consistent and to not take away powers that Mr. Spears as a conservator had.”
“My client looks forward to working with Bessemer to continue an investment strategy in the best interests of his daughter,” she said in a statement after the hearing.
“My client Jamie Spears has diligently and professionally carried out his duties as one of Britney’s conservators, and his love for his daughter and dedication to protecting her is clearly apparent to the court.”
The hearing comes after the release of “Framing Britney Spears,” a documentary that dives deep into the singer’s conservatorship.