Photo: Getty
Is there an end in sight?
By Alice Kelly — Written on Jun 30, 2021
Reports are emerging — and quickly disappearing — that Britney Spears’s lawyers have filed a petition to end her conservatorship.
A TMZ article titled "Britney Spears Files Legal Docs To End Conservatorship" appears to have said as much before it was swiftly deleted from the site shortly after publishing.
The headline, which was captured by many in screenshots before being redirected to an error page, alleged that Spears’s lawyers had submitted documents in response to the singer’s testimony last week in which she made it clear she wanted out of the arrangement.
Later that day, Marjorie Hernandez, Justice Editor for Us Weekly, claimed the documents had not been filed but were that "the termination paperwork had been prepared."
If the reports are true, Spears’s bid could be close to bringing an end to what she has labeled an “abusive” 13-year control over her personal care and finances.
But that will unlikely happen without a lengthy court battle to prove her ability to live without the conservatorship.
What happens next after Britney Spears files to end her conservatorship?
Conservatorships typically do not end because, generally speaking, people who need them do not get better. Conservatorship are usually granted for elderly, incapacitated people and often last until their death.
This means Spears and her lawyers will have a lot to prove if the singer wants to regain control of her estate.
Spears will have to provide evidence that the conservatorship is unnecessary.
Filing a petition to terminate the conservatorship is just one aspect of a lengthy battle. Once this is filed, a hearing date will be set.
Spears’s lawyers will have to provide substantial evidence that deems the conservatorship unnecessary.
This was briefly touched on in Spears’s conservatorship hearing last week, as the singer requested to forgo some of the necessary health examinations, alleging her father had already forced her to seek evaluation.
While it is possible for a judge to review Spears’s last available evaluation, the lack of up-to-date evidence may work against the singer in proving her ability to live without conservators.
Spears’s family can contest the termination.
A judge will likely need to hear from Spears once again, as well as from friends, relatives, and those involved in the conservatorship in order to best assess the situation.
A court-appointed investigator will likely interview Spears and those around her to facilitate this.
Interested parties would also have a chance to file their objections to the termination.
Those around the singer who do not support Spears’s plans to terminate the arrangement will have their chance to speak and, possibly, advocate for the conservatorship to remain in place.
The conservatorship operates on two levels, a conservatorship of the person and of the estate, meaning both Spears and the objecting parties will have to prove whether or not she is capable to manage both her personal life and finances.
The conservatorship may or may not end.
Even if Spears’s does not successfully end the conservatorship in its entirety, there is an opportunity for the singer to alter some of the terms of the arrangement.
Spears has filed to have her father, Jamie Spears, removed as her conservator, and this alteration may be made without terminating the conservatorship.
Alice Kelly is a writer living in Brooklyn, New York. Catch her covering all things social justice, news, and entertainment. Keep up with her Twitter for more.