Update, July 6: Ahead of Britney Spears’s court-appointed attorney Samuel Ingham filing paperwork asking the court to let him resign, Britney’s personal conservator Jodi Montgomery says she is staying put. Montgomery’s attorney Lauriann Wright issued a brief statement on Tuesday reaffirming Montgomery’s intent to remain on the case unless Spears requests otherwise. “Ms. Montgomery has no plans to step down as Ms. Spears’ Temporary Conservator of the Person,†reads the statement from Wright. “She remains committed to steadfastly supporting Ms. Spears in every way she can within the scope of her duties as a conservator of the person.†Wright says Britney even contacted Montgomery yesterday and asked her to continue to serve. “Ms. Montgomery will continue to serve as a conservator for as long as Ms. Spears and the Court desire her to do so,†according to the statement.
Following Spears’s explosive testimony, Bessemer Trust, the private wealth-management company appointed to co-manage the singer’s assets along with her father, asked the court to resign; Spears’s manager of 25 years, Larry Rudolph, also officially resigned on July 5.
Original story:
Less than a week after Britney Spears spoke her truth to the world, the finger-pointing over who’s to blame has already begun.
Britney’s father Jamie filed court documents on Tuesday, June 29, asking Judge Brenda Penny to open an investigation into the “serious allegations†raised by his daughter in court. Britney claimed at last week’s hearing, among other things, that she was forced to go on tour; put on lithium medication that she didn’t want to be on and which left her impaired and scared; and taken away to a facility where she felt she “couldn’t walk out the front door.†Spears said she felt like she had her personal liberty taken away and wanted her IUD removed so that she could have more children, but was not permitted to do so.
In his court documents, Jamie now says he wants to find out whether Britney’s claims are accurate. He told the court that he has “worked tirelessly to manage and protect†his daughter and her estate since he was appointed her conservator in 2008. Now, he believes “it is important for the integrity of the conservatorships and in the best interest of Ms. Spears for the court to order an investigation into the issues and claims†raised by Britney. If her claims are true, then “corrective action must be taken,†and if not, then the conservatorship “can continue its course,†according to his legal petition filed.
Even though Britney said in court that she blamed her father for what happened to her and that everything had to be approved by him, Jamie said in his court papers that’s untrue. He said he doesn’t have any input in her medical treatment and has even been cut off from communicating with her. Instead, he pinned the blame on Jodi Montgomery, a licensed private professional fiduciary, who was appointed in September 2019 to serve as Britney’s conservator over her person after Jamie stepped down from that role.
Jamie said that Montgomery has been the sole person “fully in charge†of Britney’s personal day-to-day care and medical treatment for the past two years. He said he doesn’t have any input in Britney’s medical treatment and does not discuss with her personal affairs related to her marriage and reproductive desires. He said he never prevented Britney from getting married and even let her previous fiancé Jason Trawick serve as her co-conservator. Jamie added that in light of what he learned in court from Britney, he is now having concerns about Montgomery remaining in her position as co-conservator and wonders if it is really in his daughter’s best interest.
Jamie also questioned a statement by Samuel Ingham, Britney’s court-appointed attorney, that the court had determined that Britney’s “incapacity to consent to any form of medical treatment was determined by an order filed on 10/10/2014.†Jamie’s legal team wrote in their court papers that there was no such finding, and Ingham should not be allowed to take away Britney’s right to consent to medical treatment.
Montgomery also stepped up to deflect any accusations against her on June 30. Her attorney Lauriann Wright issued a statement that her client is a “licensed private professional fiduciary who, unlike family members who serve as conservators, is required to follow a Code of Ethics.â€
“I can state unequivocally that Jodi Montgomery has been a tireless advocate for Britney and for her well-being,†reads the statement from Wright. “While she does not control Britney’s financial assets, she is responsible for her personal care, and if Britney wants any issue brought up to the court, Ms. Montgomery is and has always been ready, willing, and able to do so.â€
Wright said it has always been Montgomery’s mission to “assist and encourage Britney in her path to no longer needing a conservatorship of the person.†The statement also notes that there is nothing standing in the way of Britney’s right to marriage or to have children, and that Montgomery is standing by ready to assist her with either: “Britney’s choice to marry and to start a family have never been impacted by the conservatorship while Ms. Montgomery has been the conservator of the person.â€
A hearing will be held on July 14 regarding Jamie’s request.