By: AP
Britney Spears thanked fans who have called for years to #FreeBritney for major changes in the conservatorship that has long controlled her life and money.
Spears’ identical posts on Twitter and Instagram on Monday were her first public comments on the case since a judge suspended her father as conservator of her estate last week, a move she had long expressed hope for.
“#FreeBritney movement … I have no words … because of you guys and your constant resilience in freeing me from my conservatorship … my life is now in that direction !!!!!” Spears said in the posts, along with a brief, wordless video of herself. “I cried last night for two hours cause my fans are the best and I know it …I feel your hearts and you feel mine … that much I know is true.”
Spears has not been freed from the conservatorship entirely. The legal arrangement that has been in place since 2008 remains, minus her father, but it may be terminated at a Nov. 12 hearing.
While fans constantly search for cryptic comments on her conservatorship in her Instagram posts, the singer rarely writes directly about it on social media.
Her attorney Matthew Rosengart has vowed to pursue an investigation of her father, James Spears, and his handling of the conservatorship even now that he has been removed.
James Spears’ attorneys said there were no grounds for his removal, that his actions were always based on his daughter’s best interest, and that his suspension is a “loss for Britney.”
Britney Spears’ fight to end the conservatorship that controlled vast aspects of her life is putting the spotlight on ongoing efforts throughout the U.S. to reform state laws that advocates say too often harm the very people they were meant to protect.
Already this year, New Jersey cracked down on the circle of people who could petition for someone to be placed under a guardian. New Mexico created an independent review process to oversee how conservatorships are being handled, including the ability to check bank records. And Oregon is ensuring that anyone placed under a guardian gets free legal help.
Last Thursday, California Gov. Gavin Newsom, a Democrat, signed into law a set of changes prompted by the attention generated by Spears’ legal battle to free herself from a 13-year conservatorship run by her father.
After a Los Angeles Superior Court judge suspended James Spears as conservator, attorney Mathew Rosengart said his legal team would perform a “top-to-bottom” examination of his behavior now that they have access to years of books and records. Some allegations, he added, could bring a “hard look” from law enforcement.
(AP)
