Britney Spears’ dad hit back at Republican Reps. Matt Gaetz and Jim Jordan for using the pop star’s conservatorship to call for a congressional hearing.
In a letter sent Tuesday to House Judiciary Chairman Jerry Nadler, Gaetz and Jordan used Spears’ situation with her father Jamie as an example of the allegedly unjust conservatorships occurring in the United States.
Jamie Spears lawyers issued a response after Republicans cited Britney Spears in call for hearing on conservatorships. https://t.co/RWjufU5EOX
— Entertainment Weekly (@EW) March 10, 2021
However, Jamie’s lawyer Vivian Thoreen told Fox News the congressmen were misunderstanding the situation between Spears and her father.
“Britney’s Conservatorship of the Estate was co-managed by a private professional fiduciary and her father until early 2019,” Thoreen shared in a statement. “At that time, Britney requested in court papers that her father be the sole conservator of her estate. Her Conservatorship of the Person is not managed by her father but by a private professional fiduciary.”
Thoreen also noted Spears’ legal team has been involved in the decision-making process of the pop star’s conservatorship for years. (RELATED: Reps. Matt Gaetz, Jim Jordan Get Behind #FreeBritney Trend)
Conservatorships are used to allocate financial or personal decisions to another person in situations where an individual may be incapable of making decisions themselves. They are mostly used in cases of mental disability or dementia.
“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,” Thoreen said, according to the outlet.
“Any time Britney wants to end her conservatorship, she can ask her lawyer to file a petition to terminate it; she has always had this right but in 13 years has never exercised it,” the statement continued. “Britney knows that her Daddy loves her, and that he will be there for her whenever and if she needs him, just as he always has been—conservatorship or not.”
Spears’ conservatorship was put in place in 2008 when the pop star was in her late 20s. Most recently, Spears’ lawyer claimed the pop star “strongly opposed” her father as her conservator. Spears’ lawyer also relayed the message that Spears would not perform as long as her father was in control as conservator.
In February, Jamie’s objections were denied and a third party was added as a co-conservator for the pop star.