How Britney’s BBMA Performance Could Change Her Seriously Crazy Legal Situation
Britney Spears‘ performance at the Billboard Music Awards could change more than just the public’s opinion of whether or not she’s due for a comeback.
The 34-year-old pop icon and mother of two has been legally bound to a conservatorship — which basically means she has a team, including since 2008, but the performance, along with the concession that Britney be able to testify in a legal suit against her old manager, could indicate that Britney’s finally in a good place to search out legal freedom.
An article in the New York Times titled, “Is Britney Spears Ready to Stand Alone?” — ominous, if you ask me — posed questions regarding Spears’ unique, bizarre, and pretty sad legal situation, since conservatorships are usually set up for senior citizens or the totally mentally incompetent.
The ruling originally took place after Britney’s highly publicized mental breakdown in 2008, as The court ruled Britney Spears into her conservatorship since 2008, when Britney’s own physical safety, along with that of her two young songs, was put into question. At the time, Britney was evidently copying with substance abuse issues, and an undisclosed psychiatric condition.
Britney has mentioned that she’d like more personal freedom, but hasn’t discussed the conservatorship in interviews since 2008. Most likely, the main issue has to do with Britney’s kids; if she didn’t agree to the terms of the conservatorship, she wouldn’t be able to keep custody of her two sons.
“I think it’s too in control,” she said to MTV. “If I wasn’t under the restraints I’m under, I’d feel so liberated…even when you go to jail, you know there’s the time when you’re going to get out. But in this situation, it’s never-ending.”
Her father and a lawyer are some of the team involved with managing Britney’s finances, her household matters, the legal matters of her businesses, her personal funds, her outfits, and music decisions. Both her father, and her lawyer are compensated well for their work as her guardians. TMZ reports that the conservatorship team has taken in at least $14 million from Britney’s income since 2008.
“As long as she is bringing in so much money and as long as the lawyers and conservators are getting paid, there is little incentive to end it,” said Elaine Renoire, president of the National Association to Stop Guardian Abuse told the NYT. “Usually, the conservatorship just keeps going unless the conservatee makes a fuss or the family does.”
She declined an interview with NYT, but Britney has just signed on to extend her Las Vegas residency for two more years, and $35 million. She’s working on her new album, which will be her 9th, and seems like she’s doing better than ever, BBMA awards included. Which she did slay, by the way. She performed a number of her hit singles while wearing an outfit seemingly made completely of red string. And, as mentioned earlier, Britney was able to testify in a recent court case for the first time since her conservatorship status was established (she’s been involved in 3 other lawsuits since), as her guardians acknowledged that she’s now in a good mental headspace to handle such proceedings.
The Times suggested that if she’s doing better, she’ll be much more likely to be able to change her legal status. The question now is whether she wants to.
