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Photo provided courtesy of Unsplash.com<\/em>.<\/p>\n By Jake Heinauer, Staff Writer<\/p>\n On March 8, 2021, Representatives Jim Jordan and Matt Gaetz sent a letter to Rep. Jerry Nadler, chair of the House Judiciary Committee, seeking to hold a congressional hearing examining the \u201cunchecked\u201d role of courts in conservatorships.[1]<\/sup><\/a> This letter is particularly newsworthy as conservatorship law has become the subject of significant criticism in the wake of the #FreeBritney Movement, especially following \u201cThe New York Times Presents: Framing Britney Spears.\u201d[2]<\/sup><\/a><\/p>\n <\/p>\n In fact, Jordan and Gaetz cited Britney Spears as \u201cthe most striking example\u201d of someone \u201cbeing \u2018stripped of virtually all of their civil rights\u2019\u201d through the conservatorship she has been put under by court-order since 2008.[3]<\/sup><\/a> Specifically, the congressmen imply Spears\u2019 father is insincere in his desire to remove Spears\u2019 conservatorship, even in the event she no longer needs one, citing to his attorneys remarks on conservatorships in \u201cFraming Britney Spears.\u201d[4]<\/sup><\/a> Jordan and Gaetz wrote: \u201cthe facts and circumstances giving rise to this arrangement remain in dispute but involve questionable motives by her father, and now-conservator, Jaime Spears.\u201d[5]<\/sup><\/a><\/p>\n <\/p>\n Similarly, Jordan and Gaetz\u2019s letter expressed concern that, under current conservatorship law, the manipulation of the courts by ill-intentioned guardians may lead to the financial exploitation of those the law seeks to protect, without appropriate recourse for the conservatee.[6]<\/sup><\/a> In pertinent part, Jordan and Gaetz are seeking a hearing on the court process in terminating conservatorships when they are no longer necessary, imploring the Committee \u201cto convene a hearing to examine whether Americans are trapped unjustly in conservatorships.\u201d[7]<\/sup><\/a><\/p>\n Even prior to the airing of \u201cFraming Britney Spears,\u201d Spears\u2019 conservatorship has warranted a significant amount of attention from both traditional media outlets and social media \u2013 not only because of Spears\u2019 fame, but also because legal experts consider her conservatorship \u00a0\u201cunusual for someone as young and productive\u201d as she is.[8]<\/sup><\/a> However, the role of her father in the conservatorship became particularly controversial, as he had to temporarily relieve himself of his duties due to a health emergency in 2018 \u2013 prompting then co-conservator, Steven Wallet, to resign.[9]<\/sup><\/a> Among other statements, Wallet alleged that Spears\u2019 father refusal to permanently resign would result in lasting damage to Spears\u2019 estate, and he referred to the conservatorship as a \u201chybrid business model.\u201d[10]<\/sup><\/a> This statement, specifically, elicited significant criticism following the documentary.[11]<\/sup><\/a><\/p>\n Eventually, Spears\u2019 court-appointed attorney stated formally that Spears is \u201cstrongly opposed\u201d her father as conservator.[12]<\/sup><\/a> Accordingly, Spears is seeking to remove her father as conservator, out of her fear of him, while also refusing to perform or make new music until he is removed.[13]<\/sup><\/a><\/p>\n Recently, Spears and her counsel have successfully sought the addition of co-conservators Bessemer Trust Co., and are temporarily joined by Jodi Montgomery (a professional conservator), although her father remains the head of her estate.[14]<\/sup><\/a> Spears\u2019 legal proceedings makes it clear that she is not yet seeking the total termination of her conservatorship.[15]<\/sup><\/a> For now, her legal team is seeking to mitigate her father\u2019s influence through this joint-conservatorship.[16]<\/sup><\/a> Her attorney wrote: \u201cIt\u2019s no secret that my client does not want her father as co-conservator, but we recognize that removal is a separate issue.\u201d[17]<\/sup><\/a> In the most recent court proceedings, Spears\u2019 request to have her father removed as her conservator was denied, but Spears\u2019 father\u2019s objections to the joint-conservatorship were also overruled.[18]<\/sup><\/a><\/p>\n <\/p>\n It has not yet been announced whether the House Judiciary Committee will hold hearings on conservatorship law.<\/p>\n [1]<\/a> https:\/\/twitter.com\/JudiciaryGOP\/status\/1369368973444345860\/photo\/1<\/a><\/p>\n [2]<\/a> https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/2021\/02\/09\/arts\/music\/britney-spears-conservatorship.html<\/a><\/p>\n [3]<\/a> https:\/\/twitter.com\/JudiciaryGOP\/status\/1369368973444345860\/photo\/1<\/a><\/p>\n [4]<\/a> Id<\/em>.<\/p>\n [5]<\/a> Id<\/em>.<\/p>\n [6]<\/a> Id<\/em>.<\/p>\n [7]<\/a> Id<\/em>.<\/p>\n [8]<\/a> https:\/\/www.latimes.com\/california\/story\/2019-09-17\/britney-spears-conservatorship-free-britney<\/a><\/p>\n [9]<\/a> Id<\/em>.<\/p>\n [10]<\/a> Id<\/em>.<\/p>\n [11]<\/a> https:\/\/www.hulu.com\/series\/the-new-york-times-presents-f22278d1-ef56-40e8-9227-af3a029ca6f4<\/a><\/p>\n [12]<\/a> https:\/\/variety.com\/2021\/biz\/news\/britney-spears-conservatorship-congress-matt-gaetz-1234925750\/<\/a><\/p>\n [13]<\/a> Id<\/em>.<\/p>\n [14]<\/a> Id<\/em>.<\/p>\n [15]<\/a> Id<\/em>.<\/p>\n [16]<\/a> Id<\/em>.<\/p>\n [17]<\/a> https:\/\/variety.com\/2021\/biz\/news\/britney-spears-conservatorship-congress-matt-gaetz-1234925750\/<\/a><\/p>\n