Britney Spears’ father Jamie will remain her co-conservator, a judge ruled Thursday.
The pop star’s lawyer Samuel Ingham III told Los Angeles Superior Court judge Brenda Penny he wanted to ensure Spears’ co-conservator Bessemer Trust Company has equal decision-making powers.
“I could have drafted the petition to give the power to Bessemer Trust entirely, but I didn’t do that,” Ingham said during the 30-minute hearing. “It is, to me, reasonable that the two conservators should be able to figure out together without adding third parties to the mix how the investments are going to be handled.”
Last November, Ingham told the court Spears is “afraid of her father” and has vowed she “will not perform again if her father is in charge of her career.”
Two months earlier, Ingham said in a court filing that Spears wants “the power and authorization to pursue opportunities related to professional commitments and activities including but not limited to performing, recording, videos, tours, TV shows, and other similar activities” – providing they are approved by Bessemer Trust and her “medical team.”
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Jamie Spears’ lawyer Vivan Lee Thoreen said in a statement following Thursday’s hearing that her client “looks forward to working with Bessemer to continue an investment strategy in the best interests of his daughter.” She added that Jamie “has diligently and professionally carried out his duties as one of Britney’s conservators, and his love for his daughter and dedication to protecting her is clearly apparent to the court.”
In January 2019, Spears cited her father’s health as the reason she was scrapping plans for her Domination residency. “It’s important to always put your family first… and that’s the decision I had to make,” she said. “A couple of months ago, my father was hospitalized and almost died. We’re all so grateful that he came out of it alive, but he still has a long road ahead of him. I had to make the difficult decision to put my full focus and energy on my family at this time.
“We have a very special relationship and I want to be with my family at this time just like they have always been there for me.”
But, last March, Spears’ youngest son Jayden Federline said he doesn’t think she will make music again.
During an Instagram Live, he shared: “I remember one time I asked her, I said, ‘Mom, what happened to your music?’ and she was like, ‘I don't know, honey. I think I might just quit it.’ I'm like, ‘What? What are you saying? Like, do you know how much bank you make off of that stuff?’”
The teenager described his grandfather Jamie as “a pretty big d**k” and said “he can go die.”
This week, Spears' boyfriend Sam Asghari made a statement on social media in the wake of the Framing Britney Spears documentary. “Now it’s important for people to understand that I have zero respect for someone trying to control our relationship and constantly throwing obstacles our way,” he wrote. “In my opinion Jamie is a total d**k. I won’t be going into details because I’ve always respected our privacy but at the same time I didn’t come to this country to not be able to express my opinion and freedom.”
Spears hasn't released a studio album since 2016's Glory and hasn't performed since her Piece of Me Tour ended in October 2018.