Britney Spears’ highly-publicized fight against her 12-year conservatorship, which is suspected to be taking advantage of her personal life and career, has caught the attention of the American Civil Liberties Union.
On Wednesday (August 19), the official Twitter account for the ACLU offered to help the pop titan with her case. "People with disabilities have a right to lead self-directed lives and retain their civil rights," the organization wrote. "If Britney Spears wants to regain her civil liberties and get out of her conservatorship, we are here to help her."
Earlier in the week, Spears asked a California court to remove her father, Jamie Spears, as sole conservator of her person and replace him with Jodi Montgomery, the woman who has been serving as his temporarily replacement since September 2019. Jamie stepped down from the role, citing ongoing health issues that same month. The move came after he allegedly physically abused the singer’s son. Montgomery's role was set to expire on August 22. "[Jamie] previously served as sole conservator of her person since 2008," the court documents state. "Britney is strongly opposed to having [Jamie] return as conservator of her person. Rather, she strongly prefers to have Ms. Montgomery continue in that role as she has done for nearly a year. ... Britney would like Ms. Montgomery's appointment as conservator of her person to be made permanent."
Additionally, Spears doesn't want her father to be the sole handler of her financial empire. "Britney is strongly opposed to Jamie continuing as sole conservator of her estate," the documents state. "Rather, without in any way waiving her right to seek termination of this conservatorship in the future, she strongly prefers to have a qualified corporate fiduciary appointed to serve in this role."
Spears' conservatorship, which was set up by her father in 2008, is the driving force behind the #FreeBritney movement, which questions whether or not the star's well-being and finances are being manipulated. Earlier this month, Jamie broke his silence, denying any participation in abuse. Fans have pondered why Spears has such limited rights if she's been able to push forward with several business ventures. Conservatorships are typically meant for the elderly or gravely ill, but the star's legal restraints are no different as they see a team dictate daily decisions involving her career, finances and medical care.
Zoe Brennan-Krohn, a staff attorney at the ACLU Disability Rights Project, spoke to BuzzFeed News about issue, admitting that any conservatorship issue is "definitionally" a disability rights issue. "I don't know what types of disabilities or diagnoses Britney Spears has or doesn’t have, but she's being perceived by the court as a person with disabilities," she explained. "That’s why there’s a conservatorship."
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