Britney Spears hearing: Judge overrules father's objections to joint conservatorship order

A probate judge on Thursday overruled Jamie Spears' objections to an order establishing Bessemer Trust Co. as a co-conservator of daughter Britney Spears' estate.

Judge Brenda Penny appointed Bessemer as co-conservator along with Jamie Spears on November 10. At the same time, Penny also denied Spears' request to remove her father entirely from the conservatorship.

Subsequently, Britney Spears' attorney, Samuel Ingham, submitted a proposed order effectuating the co-conservatorship. Jamie Spears' attorney objected to the language of the proposed order, saying it improperly reduced his powers over his daughter's estate. The judge denied those objections.

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Addressing the court on Thursday, Ingham said the purpose of the order was to give both Jamie Spears and Bessemer "an equal division of responsibility, in the hopes that they would sit down and figure out together the best way to handle this complex estate for the benefit of my client."

"It's no secret that my client does not want her father as co-conservator, but we recognise that removal is a separate issue," Ingham said.

Ingham has separately indicated that he may seek to revisit his request to remove Jamie Spears entirely, but he did not do so on Thursday.

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The hearing comes a week after the release of Framing Britney Spears, a New York Times documentary on Hulu and FX that scrutinises the conservatorship. The documentary features #FreeBritney activists who say the probate court has kept Spears under legal restraints against her will.

As has happened at earlier hearings, a couple of #FreeBritney activists appeared with posters outside the Stanley Mosk Courthouse in Los Angeles. The #FreeBritney group also hosted a Zoom gathering during the hearing to discuss the case.

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Ingham said Bessemer and Jamie Spears should next arrange together to come up with a budget and an investment plan for Spears' estate.

The court is expected to hold additional hearings on March 17 and April 27.