Britney Spears’ conservatorship abuse. Britney Spears is a very well-known singer-songwriter. She recently became engaged and has two kids. Britney has been in the spotlight for more than 10 years, and her celebrity status had its ups and downs. In 2008, she lost custody of her children to the custody of her sister Jamie Lynn, who was appointed conservator over Britney’s person in 2000.
The news of Britney Spears’ conservatorship has been in the headlines since 2007 when her father and manager, Jamie Spears, filed a petition asking the court to declare his daughter in a conservatorship. The controversy surrounding Britney Spears and her father began in 2003 and lasted until 2011 before Jamie Spears was granted control over all aspects of the pop star’s life.
Her conservator was in charge of making any and all decisions for the pop star. This decision came after a report from a psychologist who was appointed by a judge to examine Spears, and he concluded that she was not mentally fit to make decisions for herself.
Ms Spears’ conservatorship was established to keep her out of jail or out of another legal problem. It was also created to ‘help’ her avoid another personal bankruptcy. This type of conservatorship has been used against many celebrities before, including Michael Jackson, Slash and Mariah Carey.
Her conservatorship effectively allows one person to control all her decisions, assets and life, while she is forced to live a life that is dictated to her rather than her living it according to her own free will (a basic human right). Just to be clear, she is not an elderly or impaired person that is incapable of managing her life – quite the opposite.
So then, how is it that someone like Britney could make millions over all these years, go on several tours, take residency at Las Vegas and STILL be deemed incapable of not being able to make her own decisions? It is evident that her conservatorship became a money-making system for everyone, except Britney. The level of control over her life was sickening, to the point where she did not have free will to get married or have more kids. If that is not outright abuse of human rights, I don’t know what is. How can this happen to one of the most famous and wealthiest pop stars in the world?
This story highlights the importance of remaining in control of your life and understanding your rights, as well as knowing who to trust. There are too many money-hungry people (which can even be your own family members) just waiting for an opportunity for wealthy, famous people (although they don’t even need to be well-known) to ‘fall off the rails’, so that they can take advantage of them at the right moment (as was the case for Britney).
If you are a high-profile and influential person you are not necessarily ‘immune’ to people taking control of you and your financial assets. Always surround yourself with people you like and trust who you know will provide good advice, and look out for your best interests.
Get a good lawyer and read the fine print. Don’t assume people will do right by you. Be in control of your own life, always.
