Torchde Team | June 27, 2021
It’s been widely publicized and promoted that Britney Spears has spoken out in court for the first time about the conditions of her strict conservatorship. In a 20-minute recording Spears vented to a Los Angeles probate judge about therapy abuse, forced working conditions, and lack of control over her own body. Spears indicated that she wants to sue her family because of the treatment comparing it to sex-trafficking. This is not the first time Spears has spoken out against her conservatorship. Britney Spears court records show that the pop icon has been trying to end the conservatorship for years before the media caught wind of the story.
In 2008, Britney Spears and her estate were placed in a temporary conservatorship under her father, Jamie Spears. What was supposed to be a temporary conservatorship became permanent, lasting for 13 years. Confidential court records obtained by The New York Times reveal that Spears, 39, has been opposed to the conservatorship years earlier. A court investigator recalled a conversation with Spears in a 2016 report. “She articulated she feels the conservatorship has become an oppressive and controlling tool against her,” The system had “too much control,” too, too much!” Spears told a judge on Wednesday: “I worked seven days a week, no days off, which in California, the only similar thing to this is called sex trafficking.”
Britney Spears In Court: ‘This Conservatorship Is Abusive’
In the conservatorship hearing audio, Spears said she wrote 4 pages of notes and told the judge what she had been through, but did not feel the courts heard her on any level. “The people who did that to me should not be able to walk away so easily.” According to Spears testimony, her father hired nurses and 24-7 security to live with her and watch her every move, without privacy – including getting dressed. “They watched me change every day — morning, noon and night.”
Spears went into detail about how she had no control over her money, outings, ability to marry or get pregnant. According to her testimony, there were also harsh consequences if she didn’t comply with the overly bearing and abusive work and therapy schedules. “If I didn’t do any of my meetings and work from eight to six at night, which is 10 hours a day, seven days a week, no days off, I wouldn’t be able to see my kids or my boyfriend.”
The #FreeBritney Movement
Why has Britney Spears been battling in court for so long and why hasn’t the judge ended the conservatorship or delegated a new person to take on the role? The singers’ long time fans launched the #FreeBritney movement in 2009 to bring awareness to the conservatorship. The hashtag began to gain momentum in 2019 on social media platforms. On Wednesday, more than half a million tweets were sent out with #FreeBritney attached.