A judge in Los Angeles sided with Britney Spears’ legal team on Thursday by giving a third party equal power to her father in managing the 39-year-old pop star’s finances. Her father, Jamie Spears, had objected to an earlier ruling, which he said diminished his control of the estate.
Judge Brenda Penny commissioned her father and financial firm Bessemer Trust to collaborate on a budget and investment plan for the singer. In November, the judge appointed the company to the role, but denied an attempt by Britney’s attorneys to get Jamie out of the conservatorship whole.
Jamie got the conservatorship in 2008 after Britney struggled with mental health issues.
On Thursday, Britney’s court-appointed attorney reiterated his earlier statements saying his client wants her father removed from the conservatory. “It’s no secret that my client doesn’t want her father as her curator, but we recognize that relocation is a separate issue,” said lawyer Sam Ingham.
Jamie’s lawyer, Vivian Thoreen, claimed that the co-conservatorship between Jaime and Bessemer Trust was “unclear and ambiguous”. But Ingham disputed this, saying that the split roles were not ambiguous and intended to be equal.
Last year, Ingram said Britney was “strongly opposed” to her father’s position as the sole curator of her estate and asked the court to limit his scrutiny. Although the judge did not remove him, she named the Bessemer Trust as co-curator.
AP
Jamie’s legal team has argued that his guidance is working. Under his orders, his lawyers have said, Britney’s estate has changed from a debt burden to an appraisal of more than $ 60 million.
At the end of Thursday, Jamie’s lawyers said he appreciated working with the co-curator. “The Probate Court’s rulings today demonstrate the court’s confidence in our client Jamie Spears and Bessemer Trust to jointly manage the curatorship of Ms. Spears’s estate,” its legal team said in a statement. “My client looks forward to working with Bessemer to pursue an investment strategy in the best interest of his daughter.”
The news comes as a documentary from the New York Times renewed attention to Spears’ legal battle with her father. The special follows the rise of the beloved pop star, the public meltdown and the most recent comeback.
Both parties are expected back in court on March 17.