Judge grants Britney Spears right to choose lawyer in conservatorship case
LAS VEGAS, NV - SEPTEMBER 24: Recording artist Britney Spears performs onstage at the 2016 iHeartRadio Music Festival at T-Mobile Arena on September 24, 2016 in Las Vegas, Nevada. (Photo by Isaac Brekken/Getty Images for iHeartMedia)
LOS ANGELES - A judge has granted Britney Spears the right to choose her own lawyer in the conservatorship case. The pop star testified by phone Wednesday in front of a Los Angeles judge.
Her top priority was removing her current legal representatives and replacing him with attorney Matthew Rosengart.
Rosengart called Spears’ testimony lucid, powerful and compelling. He might be new to the case but he’s clearly moved by Spears and ready for the fight.
"One thing that everybody has lost sight of in all of the controversy, all of the litigation, and all the drama, is what is in the best interest of Britney Spears. It doesn’t take an expert to understand that the fundamental tenet of probate law of conservatorships is what is in the best interest of the conservatee. Can anyone believe, can anyone disagree, that it is not in the best interest of the conservatee for James Spears to be co-conservator," Rosengart said outside of court Wednesday.
Rosengart called for Britney’s father to voluntarily step down, but his attorney said that wasn’t going to happen.
This development comes just days after a TMZ report revealed the singer's mother Lynne Spears asked a judge to let Britney hire a private lawyer in hopes of ending the conservatorship.
Judge OK's Britney Spears to hire her own private attorney
Three weeks after Britney Spears' impassioned court appearance demanding an end to the conservatorship that has governed her life for 13 years, a Los Angeles judge approved the singer's request to hire her own attorney rather than have one appointed for her.
Lynne's lawyer had previously argued Britney "had to perform in front of millions of people, has had to manage hundreds of performances, has had to use her artistic and creative talents to prepare for shows by choreographing each and every move for and interacting with many co-performers, and has had to rehearse and perform for many thousands of hours over the years," according to the TMZ report from last week.
PREVIOUS COVERAGE: Britney Spears' mother asking judge to let singer hire private lawyer in push to end conservatorship, TMZ reports
"I'm here to get rid of my dad and charge him for conservatorship abuse,'' the singer said in court.
Spears repeated her desire that her conservatorship be ended, but only if she does not have to be mentally evaluated. She also reiterated that she has been forced to do to many things against her will, made to feel like she is "crazy,'' and that she wants to regain control of her life.
Spears said she wants to retain Jodi Montgomery as her personal conservator, saying she believes it will be beneficial to have her in the position for now. Montgomery is currently serving in that capacity in a temporary role.
Britney Spears was placed in conservatorship in 2008 after the singer experienced mental-health issues. The singer had called the conservatorship abusive during a June 2020 hearing.
"I’m not lying, I just want my life back," Spears told the Los Angeles Superior Court judge, Brenda Penny in a virtual court during the June hearing. "I want to end the conservatorship without being evaluated."
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