Britney Spears broke her silence in her 13-year conservatorship battle, telling the judge that she wants the legal arrangement to end once and for all.
On Wednesday afternoon (June 23), the pop titan made a virtual court appearance, telling Los Angeles County Superior Court Judge Brenda Penny, "I want to end the conservatorship without being evaluated. In the meantime I want this therapist to come to my home… I'm not willing to go to Westlake and be embarrassed by all these paparazzi."
"I haven’t done anything in the world to deserve this treatment. It’s not OK to force me to do anything I don’t want to do," she continued in her address.
As for why she didn't speak up publically, Spears said that she felt like no one would believe her. "I haven’t been back to court in a long time because I don’t feel like I was heard on any level," she told the court. She went on to admit that she's been traumatized by her father,Jamie Spears, and the control that he's had over her. "I've told the world I'm happy and OK," the singer said, adding. "I'm traumatized. I'm not happy, I can't sleep."
Additionally, she detailed how the conservatorship has extended to her own body, admitting that she was not allowed to take her IUD out. "I wanna be able to get married and have a baby," she said. She also said she is not allowed to see her friends, have her boyfriend,Sam Asghari, drive her or own even start a family under the legal entanglement.
Back in April, the pop titan's probate attorney in the case,Samuel Ingham III, asked the court to set today's date "on an expedited basis," for when the star would address the court. "Britney wants to address the court directly," Ingham said, adding that she would like it to happen within the next month. Los Angeles Superior Court Judge Brenda Penny responded to the request and scheduled a hearing to allow her to speak on the "status of the conservatorship."
Elsewhere in the month, her mother,Lynne Spears, voiced concern with how Jamie Spears was spending money from their superstar daughter's estate amid her battle for freedom. In court documents, Lynne, 65, objected to the four-month fee of $890,000 that was spent by Jamie's law firm, Holland & Knight, arguing that the fees requested by his attorneys were "procedurally and substantively improper." Additionally, Lynne claimed that the firm's services were not "performed in good faith for the benefit" of their daughter. She also asked the court to review the costs and requested at least $224,000 be "immediately repaid" to Britney's estate.
Spears has backed the #FreeBritney movement via Ingham, where she previously announced that she welcomes the informed consent of her fans. The controversy prompted the February airing of theFraming Britney Spears documentary, which highlighted the unusual legal entanglement.