Britney Spears suffers legal setback

LOS ANGELES: Britney Spears on Wednesday failed to remove her father from controlling her business and personal affairs after a Los Angeles court made no immediate changes to her 12-year court-appointed conservatorship.

The pop star, now 38, had asked for her care manager to permanently replace her father Jamie as her conservator. But the closed door court hearing extended the current arrangements until February 2021, according to a court document posted online by fans.

Reuters was not immediately able to verify the authenticity of the document.

Jamie Spears was appointed conservator in 2008 after the pop star was hospitalized for psychiatric treatment. The singer’s care manager Jodi Montgomery took over in a temporary capacity late last year when Jamie Spears suffered a bout of ill health.

A lawyer for the singer had submitted documents ahead of the private hearing saying Spears was “strongly opposed” to having her father return to control her affairs. The documents gave no reasons for her stance.

Spears revived her career after her breakdown but she pulled out of a Las Vegas concert residency last year and briefly entered a mental health facility. She has not performed publicly since October 2018.

Outside the courthouse, some two dozen fans from the small but vocal #FreeBritney campaign held a demonstration, shouting “The conservatorship has got to go!”

Supporters of the campaign believe Spears is being kept prisoner and that she is sending cryptic signals begging to be freed through her social media accounts, which usually consist of selfies or her dancing at home.

“I’m here to support Britney and I believe that she deserves her basic civil rights and to be able to spend her money on her terms,” said Timothy, 26, who flew from Minneapolis for the rally.

Spears has not publicly commented on the campaign but her father has dismissed it as a joke.

The American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) on Wednesday offered its support to Spears.

“If Britney Spears wants to regain her civil liberties and get out of her conservatorship, we are here to help her,” the ACLU wrote in a tweet.