Florida Probate Litigation Lawyer Blog
In November 2021, after Britney Spears’ father, Jamie Spears, was suspended as conservator of his daughter’s conservatorship, a judge finally ruled to end the conservatorship. This decision signaled the end for the restrictive supervision that had been in place since 2008. Back in June 2021, Britney Spears made headlines as she gave an emotional testimony pleading for her conservatorship to be lifted, echoing the online social media movement #FreeBritney. After nearly fourteen years, Ms. Spears is finally poised to assume complete autonomy of her life and regain many of her most fundamental individual rights.
What is a conservatorship?
Under California law, where Ms. Spears resides, “[a] conservatorship is a court case where a judge appoints a responsible person or organization (called the “conservator”) to care for another adult (called the “conservatee”) who cannot care for himself or herself or manage his or her own finances.” The state declares one to be a conservatee if he or she is intellectually incapacitated and unable to make independent decisions, usually involving ailments such as dementia, serious mental illness, or other metal disabilities. Once the court establishes the conservatorship, the conservatee loses the right to make certain decisions, such as deciding medical treatment, controlling financial assets, marrying, and signing contracts, to name a few.
