Britney Spears' Conservatorship Case: All you need to know about laws that bar her rights

American singer, songwriter, and dancer, Britney Spears, who is referred to as the 'Princess of Pop', has successfully ousted her father from the conservatorship on September 30, a legal fight that she was wrestling since 2007 against her father. According to her, she had been facing the 'abuse of the law' that was invoked some 13 years ago.

According to US law, the court has the power to appoint a conservator-- a guardian or a protector to manage the financial affairs and/or daily life of another person due to old age or physical or mental limitations. However, the law has been under the wrath of the die-hard fans of the acclaimed American singer after she took to social media platforms to narrate the ordeal that she had been allegedly facing since it was slapped early in 2007. Meanwhile, the court guaranteed Spears that she would be freed to make her own decisions in November. As the court gave the historic decision today, let's have a look at the pros and cons of the law.

How do conservatorships work?

According to US laws, if a person has diminished mental capacity, a court can appoint a conservator to take his/her financial as well as major life decisions. It means the appointed person has the power to take a final call related to the concerned person's major life choices or financial decisions. The law was framed to help people against any possible money fraud. As per law, a conservator can be a family member, a close friend, or a court-appointed professional.

What does Britney say against her conservator?

According to Britney, her father, Jamie Spears, was overseeing the visitors, he even barred her from meeting her sons. During a court hearing in June, she alleged that her father compelled her to take drugs against her will. She further revealed that an intrauterine device was installed in her body and she was forced to undertake performances when she didn’t want to.  She told the court that her father repeatedly barred her from getting married to her longtime boyfriend, Sam Asghari. According to the law, she can get married, but the conservatorship must approve it as with other major life decisions.

Who has power over Spears? 

The final authority in the conservatorship falls to Judge Brenda Penny, who exercised it by excluding Brintey's father, James Spears, and is expected to use it again to dismiss the legal order entirely in November this year, something she has been free to do at any time. Ere her father's discontinuing as a conservator, James Spears had the share of day-to-day control over his daughter’s decisions for more than a decade. In 2019, he gave up the role of a conservator over her life choices, managing authority only over Britney's finances. He has now been superseded by John Zabel, an auditor chosen by the pop singer and her lawyer.

With inputs from AP

Image: AP