Britney Spears's mom says singer's 'capacity is certainly different today than it was in 2008' in new filing
Britney Spears's mom, Lynne Spears, is the latest member of the singer's family to publicly weigh in on where she stands after the explosive hearing two weeks ago. In new documents filed with the court, Lynne says Britney's capacity "is certainly different today" than it was when the conservatorship was instated 13 years ago.
The move comes one day after Britney's court-appointed lawyer, Samuel Ingham, asked to resign amid mounting criticism of how he has handled the case. On Wednesday, Lynne filed a petition for permission to hire private counsel on behalf of her daughter.
"This Motion to Appoint Private Counsel is of the utmost importance and may very well impact each and every of the other requests submitted by Conservatee in her live testimony at the June 23 Hearing," the document obtained by Yahoo Entertainment reads. "It is self-evident that before the Court addresses, for example, the termination of the conservatorship, Conservatee must be allowed to consult with counsel of her choosing."
Lynne echoes many points Britney made during the June 23 hearing, and states that the 39-year-old singer "is able to care for her person." The docs note Britney's "ability to perform in front of millions of people," choreograph "each and every move" and "earn literally hundreds of millions of dollars as an international celebrity." Lynne calls her daughter's passionate 24-minute speech to the court "very courageous."
"Her capacity is certainly different today than it was in 2008, and Conservatee should no longer be held to the 2008 standard, whereby she was found to 'not have the capacity to retain counsel,'" the filing notes.
Britney made it clear that she wants the "abusive" conservatorship to end, saying those responsible should be in jail.
"The people who did this to me should not get away," Spears told the judge, speaking for herself publicly for the first time in years. "Ma'am, my dad, and anyone involved in this conservatorship, and my management, who played a huge role in punishing me when I said no — ma'am, they should be in jail."
Britney's statement put the spotlight on her family, with people speculating about who has profited off her financially since 2008. The singer's sister, Jamie Lynn, is among those who some fans believe benefited from the conservatorship — but the Sweet Magnolias star continues to hit back on that assertion.
Jamie Lynn posted on screenshot on her Instagram Story of a Daily Mail headline that read: "Britney Spears' sister Jamie Lynn shares photos of her home life... after it's revealed she is the ONLY family member not on singer's payroll." The actress captioned the post, "Facts....now leave my broke-ass alone."
Britney's father, Jamie Spears, has been co-conservator of Britney's estate while Jodi Montgomery has control of the singer's personal decisions. Jamie and Jodi Montgomery have been pointing fingers at each other over who is to blame for many of the singer's stunning claims made last month — and a lot of people are jumping ship.
Wealth management group Bessemer Trust, which serves as a co-conservator of Britney's estate alongside Jamie, asked to withdraw. Britney's longtime manager, Larry Rudolph, quit on Tuesday — the same day Ingham requested to resign "effective upon the appointment of new court-appointed counsel." Many questioned why Ingham did not file a petition to end the conservatorship after Britney made it crystal clear that was her wish.
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