Britney Spears’ father fails to secure full control of singer’s $60 million estate

Britney Spears’ father has lost a bid to be granted sole responsibility for her finances, following a court hearing on Thursday. 

Jamie Spears has controlled his daughter’s net worth since 2008, when she was placed under a conservatorship in the wake of her mental breakdown. 

However, in November, a Los Angeles judge appointed Bessemer Trust as a co-conservator. Jamie Spears was now forced to share his power over Britney’s monetary affairs with the independent firm, which is known for overseeing wealthy individuals and families' finances. 

Although the decision weakened her father’s control of her, it failed to meet Britney’s requests. Her lawyer Samuel D Ingham III argued that his client was ‘afraid’ of her father and that it was ‘no secret’ that she didn’t want him to be a co-conservator. 

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Jamie’s lawyer Vivian Thoreen objected to the decision to uphold Bessemer Trust as a co-conservator, slating the agreement made in November with the firm as "unclear and ambiguous by design.” This argument was rejected by Judge Brenda J Perry, who proceeded to schedule another hearing for March 17th. 

The public’s interest in Britney Spears’ ongoing legal battles has been intensified by the release of a controversial new documentary on the pop star's history. "Framing Britney Spears" delves deep into the iconic musician's background, giving viewers a raw insight into her family background and raising some hard questions about the media’s treatment of celebrities. 

While the Spears family did not participate in the New York Times documentary, it has received widespread praise from famous fans of the singer. Paramore’s Hayley Williams took to Twitter to share her reaction to the production and recognize Britney for starting a much-needed discussion on mental health. 

“No artist today would have to endure the literal torture that media/society/utter misogynists inflicted upon her,” she wrote. “The mental health awareness conversation, culturally, could never be where it is without the awful price she has paid.” 

Britney has not responded directly to the documentary, but many fans believe her recent Instagram post to be a reference.

“I’ll always love being on stage,” she said. “But I am taking the time to learn and be a normal person. I love simply enjoying the basics of every day life... Each person has their story and their take on other people’s stories.”