A new spotlight on Britney Spears’ conservatorship that has her legions of fans calling for reforms has prompted California lawmakers to consider changes that could affect the pop singer’s protracted legal case in Los Angeles.
The high-profile conservatorship has been the focus of intense speculation since Spears was first placed under the legal arrangement 13 years ago, but public scrutiny of the court-ordered guardianship has exploded with the #FreeBritney movement backed by fans turned activists and the recent New York Times documentary “Framing Britney Spears.”
The documentary, released in February, raised questions about how the conservatorship system has worked in the star’s case, highlighting how Spears was stripped of decisions about her earnings and daily life even as she continued performing and making millions. Now, proposals in the California Legislature aim to strengthen the requirements of conservatorships, requiring more oversight and training of those in charge of another person’s care and finances, and implementing additional conditions to safeguard conservatees such as Spears.
A conservatorships is a legal arrangement put in place by a court with the aim of protecting those who cannot care for themselves. Spears, 39, was first placed under a conservatorship in 2008 following her public unraveling the year prior, when a court appointed her father, James “Jaime” Spears and attorney Andrew Wallet, who managed her financial assets, to oversee her affairs. Wallet resigned in 2019 and the singer is currently attempting to remove her father as her conservator. Attorneys for Jaime Spears have maintained that he has always acted in the best interests of his daughter.
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