During a revolutionary court testimony on June 23 from Britney Spears, the princess of pop loudly spoke-up about the abuse she endures from her conservators, family and management team. Britney Spears gave an emotional, 23-minute testimony over the phone during a remote hearing before Los Angeles court. During her testimony she pleaded with Judge Brenda Penny for freedom from an abusive conservatorship. After Britney’s testimony, her father, Jamie Spears, filed to oppose the permanent appointment of Jodi Montgomery as the Conservator of Britney’s Person. The Conservator of the Person deals with issues surrounding Britney Spears’ medical and personal issues. Britney made allegations against Jamie Spears, conservator of her estate, and Jodi Montgomery, saying they tightly control her finances, career, personal life and even reproductive system. A representative for Jodi Montgomery issued a statement saying, “Jodi has not prevented Britney from having children” and “supports Britney’s path to no longer needing a conservatorship of the person.” Many members of Britney’s team have resigned from their positions since the testimony was released.
People on Britney’s Team Step Down
Britney’s Manager
Larry Rudolph, Britney Spears’ long-time manager, officially announced he was resigning. He officially informed her conservators, Jodi Montgomery and Jamie Spears with the following statement:
“It has been over 2 1/2 years since Britney and I last communicated, at which time she informed me she wanted to take an indefinite work hiatus. Earlier today, I became aware that Britney had been voicing her intention to officially retire. As you know, I have never been a part of the conservatorship nor its operations, so I am not privy to many of these details. I was originally hired at Britney’s request to help manage and assist her with her career. And as her manager, I believe it is in Britney’s best interest for me to resign from her team as my professional services are no longer needed. Please accept this letter as my formal resignation. I will always be incredibly proud of what we accomplished over our 25 years together. I wish Britney all the health and happiness in the world, and I will be there for her if she ever needs me again, just as I always have been. Larry Rudolph”
Rudolph’s resignation came days after Bessemer Trust, the California company that handled Britney’s estate with Jamie Spears, requested to be removed as co-conservator.
Bessemer Trust
The Bessemer Trust cited Britney’s claim of “irreparable harm to her interests” as their reason for dropping out of the conservatorship. The Bessemer Trust explained, since they were invited by Britney Spears to join the conservatorship in November 2020, they believed she was in the conservatorship willingly. “Petitioner has become aware that the Conservatee objects to the continuance of her Conservatorship and desires to terminate the conservatorship, Petitioner has heard the Conservatee and respects her wishes.” Bessemer Trust manages around $100 billion in assets spread over 11,000 trusts, according to its website. The Bessemer Firm leaving Britney Spears’ conservatorship gives the arrangement a gloriously unsure future.
Britney’s Lawyer
Britney Spears’ lawyer, Sam Ingham, who has represented her since she was first placed under a conservatorship in 2008, is asking to be dismissed as her lawyer. Ingham was appointed by the court in Britney’s case against her wishes after the lawyer originally hired was removed from the case. Sam Ingham is billing Britney’s estate an estimated $10,000 a week to act as her lawyer, which adds up to roughly $520,000 per year. By comparison, Britney’s estimated 2019 living expenses came to just under $450,000. Ingham is not the only lawyer who is being paid by Britney’s estate.
She is forced to pay the lawyers she is fighting. Court documents show that Jamie Spears’ lawyers billed nearly $900,000 for four months of work from October 2020 to February 2021. The charges include things such as hundreds of hours of “responding to media requests” at a rate of $500 to $900 per hour. Ingham could file to be dismissed as soon as Tuesday, according to TMZ. Ingham is “upset” and believes Britney Spears “mischaracterized his work” in the statement calling the conservatorship abusive. A statement that recently has been back up even farther by a 911 call that has come to light.
Britney Calls 911 for Conservatorship Abuse
An investigation published by The New Yorker mentions a 911 call Britney Spears made the night before her hearing June 23. The report by Ronan Farrow and Jia Tolentino says Britney called 911 to report herself a victim of conservatorship abuse. Britney’s team “began texting one another frantically” after the call. “They were worried about what Spears might say the next day, and they discussed how to prepare in the event that she went ‘rogue.’” Emergency calls are public record in California, but not in Britney’s case because the call is part of an ongoing investigation. Spears is set for another conservatorship hearing later this month on July 14.
Written by: Erinn Malloy
