Britney Spears Conservatorship - Anyone read about it?

[mellowyellowgirl]

I'm a huge fan of her music. Grew up with the pink furry pom poms in my hair and could sing almost every song on her CDs.

I've read her statement today and am absolutely horrified. She certainly seems lucid enough. How can they just lock her up forever???

 

[DejaWiz]

We all know her history. Her issues. Her outlandish behavior.

What many don't know is the sheer amount of help that she's gotten over the last decade: both mandated and chosen.

I'm all for giving her the chance to live her own life and prove to the courts that they should no longer have any control or dictatorship over her life since she has largely complied with their demands.

If her dad doesn't back the heck off of running her life affairs, then she should probably file a restraining order.

I feel as if she's at a point that she's more than paid her dues back to society for her long ago errors.

...and here's another problem: everything that I just typed out means that there is too much invasion of privacy and public broadcast of people's lives.

 

[YadaYadaYada]

I can’t decide if she is truly mentally ill and we are just getting her side of the story, or if she really has been used and abused all these years and kept under lock and key to bankroll other people’s lifestyles. I can’t understand how a court would allow this amount of control over an adult without good reasoning. That’s why I think we may only be getting one side of the story. If all she is saying is true and she is competent to handle her own affairs then her father is a monster.

It’s really too bad whatever the case because if you watch footage of her when she was first starting out she seemed like a sweet girl.

 

[stracci2000]

I'm willing to bet that there are plenty of people out there with vast fortunes who might have some mental issues.
Do families regularly take way the fortunes of members who are suffering mental or emotional issues?
What do they think will happen if she gets her money? Will she spend it all on houses, trips and diamonds? So what if she does? It's her money.

 

[elizat]

I can’t decide if she is truly mentally ill and we are just getting her side of the story, or if she really has been used and abused all these years and kept under lock and key to bankroll other people’s lifestyles. I can’t understand how a court would allow this amount of control over an adult without good reasoning. That’s why I think we may only be getting one side of the story. If all she is saying is true and she is competent to handle her own affairs then her father is a monster.

It’s really too bad whatever the case because if you watch footage of her when she was first starting out she seemed like a sweet girl.

I think the same. It's also possible that in the time since she's been in this, she's gotten the help that she needs and she's able to regain control of her own affairs. If what she detailed yesterday is actually what's happening, to that level of control when she is functional and able to make her own business decisions, as well as her own personal decisions, then she is right, vast changes need to be made.

 

[MillieLou]

She is willing to continue under a guardianship arrangement, she just wants it to be with someone outside the family. That seems perfectly balanced and reasonable to me.

 

[tyty333]

I was shocked at the level of control they have over her...birth control, ability to marry, money, work schedule etc. Seems like she
has no say-so and has to walk the line. At this point, we are only hearing one side of the story though. When was the last time
she did something crazy? Are her mental issues under control? I haven't heard about her doing anything outlandish in a long
time. I think it should be a guardianship arrangement with someone outside the family. That does sound more fair than whats
going on now.

Curious if the Dad's story is going to come out and contradict her story?

 

[Jambalaya]

I read about it, and it seems horrifying. But I'm not familiar with her history. However, it seems that many stars behave much worse than her and don't get their autonomy taken away.

 

[JPie]

She works ridiculously hard for someone they claim is too mentally ill to manage her own affairs. How many world tours has she been on? How long did she do her Vegas residency?

If her conservators think she’s fit enough to work her nonstop, then I think this conservatorship is a gross violation of her rights. You’d have to be pretty naive to believe that kind of life is conducive to mental health and not about enslavement and greed.

 

[JPie]

I feel as if she's at a point that she's more than paid her dues back to society for her long ago errors.

I’m curious…what in her past errors required paying dues to society? I don’t think shaving one’s head and popping out kids with a sketchy backup dancer damaged anyone but herself, but I might be missing something.

Edited to add: apologies if I sound combative in tone. I’m genuinely curious if I’m missing something here and I realized I might sound a bit crotchety. I don’t really have a horse in this race so no offense intended!

 

[DejaWiz]

I’m curious…what in her past errors required paying dues to society? I don’t think shaving one’s head and popping out kids with a sketchy backup dancer damaged anyone but herself, but I might be missing something.

Edited to add: apologies if I sound combative in tone. I’m genuinely curious if I’m missing something here and I realized I might sound a bit crotchety. I don’t really have a horse in this race so no offense intended!

US courts = taxpayer funded.

 

[JPie]

US courts = taxpayer funded.

I assume she’s a taxpayer and she has generated revenue for every city she toured before her legal troubles. But hey, with all the tax dodges for the wealthy, who knows.

Regardless, I don’t consider it a debt owed to society when people have to go to court, with frivolous lawsuits and fraud being the exceptions, but I recognize that your mileage may vary.

 

[smitcompton]

Hi,

I think she was a drunk. Got Duis and landed in jail. She was a danger to society in that regard.

If you have a mental illness, which I suspect she has, medication keeps you stable, we hope. The amount of control her father has over her affairs may be due to the fact that she stops takings meds when not watched. She did seem way out of control yrs ago. I think she was a real sick puppy and they declared her incompetent.

If someone outside the family takes over I think she could manipulate them. She can bring Dr.s to court to speak, on her behalf. The father probably ought to relinquish some control. The court should give her some rope.

Annette

 

[DejaWiz]

I assume she’s a taxpayer and she has generated revenue for every city she toured before her legal troubles. But hey, with all the tax dodges for the wealthy, who knows.

Regardless, I don’t consider it a debt owed to society when people have to go to court, with frivolous lawsuits and fraud being the exceptions, but I recognize that your mileage may vary.

The court made some rulings to provide elevated oversight to her life. Those doing the oversight are likely from various state-run departments and organizations, which are almost always taxpayer funded, as well. Think about the chain of expenses involved: for every one social worker in the field, there are probably a handful behind the scenes.

That's merely my take on it, having been involved with social worker and court systems from being a foster and adoptive parent.

I respect your differing view...that's what makes this world a great and diverse place. It'd be pretty boring if everyone was the same.

 

[Mekp]

I think the scope of the control they have over her is horrifying. Everyone should have the right to make decisions about birth control. It actually reminds me of forced sterilization that used to be carried out.
I don’t understand the legalities involved in the conservatorship. Where I live, there is no such thing as global incompetence. Each decision is looked at individually - so someone may be capable of consenting to their medications but not capable of consenting to whether they are admitted to a nursing home. Also where I live, capacity to make a decision is based on the ability to understand and appreciate the decision including options and consequences of those options. It has nothing to do with whether one is going to make what others may think is a good or right choice. We should all be allowed to choose poorly.

 

[YadaYadaYada]

The mistakes she made were so many years ago….ten at least, that it’s high time she was given a shot at running her own life. Even if it isn’t all at once (which could be overwhelming anyways) but maybe they assign someone outside the family to oversee her affairs and give her increasingly more responsibility.

The whole thing is just bizarre, either these parents have a hard time not being in control or they are afraid she will go out of control the moment they let her out from under their thumb. Either way it’s her life and her money, not theirs.

 

[stracci2000]

They are probably shaking in their shoes that if she gets this money back, she will sue them.

 

[Mreader]

I have guardianship over a relative and he was born mentally disabled so he can’t live alone. He has autism and developmental delay. And it’s true that when you have guardianship over a person it’s your decision whether they get a procedure done at the doctor or get to see a friend etc. He currently lives in a group home and whenever somebody wants to see him they have to ask my permission. It is completely ridiculous to me that this type of guardianship would be given over someone like Britany. Yes she’s had issues but that just seems like far too much control. I was really surprised when there were no changes during the petitions over the years. I have read that once the guardianship is in place it’s very very hard to reverse. I just hope for her sake it gets reversed.

 

[Daisys and Diamonds]

Not a fan but i feel sorry for her
It doesn't seem right

 

[smitcompton]

Hi,

I don't honestly know how good her reasoning is. Why did she bring Justin Tinderlake to her hearing to speak on her behalf? I think some other celebrities were there as well, Where are the Drs. or therapists to speak on her behalf. I just don't know. If it is a competency hearing why does Justin Timberlakes" opinion matter?

Annette

 

[Ionysis]

I strongly suspect given the draconian nature of the framework which is in place to safeguard her that her mental health issues are FAR more severe and long lasting than has been disclosed publicly. No information about the nature of her mental illness is disclosed in the public domain and if it was I think we would be drawing perhaps a different picture / conclusion.

 

[Ionysis]

Do we really think what she does involves a huge amount of mental competence? When surrounded by a vast team of people who arrange every minute thing? She probably doesn’t even put on her own shoes at a show. She needs to be able to sing and dance. I don’t think that requires incredible mental agility especially after over two decades of doing it.

 

[Mreader]

Someone can have mental health issues and it doesn’t require guardianship FFS. There’s a lot of nefarious things going on including the fact that her own attorney was not one of her choosing! I think what’s going on in part is that once guardianship is in place, it is very very difficult to undo. Tons of legal bureaucracy to untangle and since her father is in charge of her finances he has the financial means to block it at every path.

 

[Mreader]

Do we really think what she does involves a huge amount of mental competence? When surrounded by a vast team of people who arrange every minute thing? She probably doesn’t even put on her own shoes at a show. She needs to be able to sing and dance. I don’t think that requires incredible mental agility especially after over two decades of doing it.

Wow that is harsh.

 

[bludiva]

i literally just read an article about this. seems like she may have had or have issues but they've been used as a way to take advantage of her. if she was really suffering from severe mental health issues, why would her conservators want her to keep performing? it seems super shady.

 

[VRBeauty]

As one who has dealt with depression for decades, I know that that it can be easy to spiral down to very scary places. Fortunately I’ve never fully given up during one of those downward spirals - and fortunately, my life has never been subject to the exposure and scrutiny and ridicule that Brittany’s has been subject to. As a younger woman with the responsibility of motherhood, that could easily have been overwhelming.

We don’t know exactly what condition Brittany is suffering from, if any. Whatever it is, it’s obviously treatable enough to allow her to put on elaborate and probably grueling stage shows. Why she can’t have at least some control over her own affairs at this point is beyond me. A dancing bear comes to mind when I read her story.

 

[Mreader]

I just have to add that there is also a very sexist element to this IMHO. I have to think that if a man went through the same mental crisis this probably wouldn’t have happened.

 

[bludiva]

I just have to add that there is also a very sexist element to this IMHO. I have to think that if a man went through the same mental crisis this probably wouldn’t have happened.

i was thinking that too! she's not a little girl, this is an almost 40 year old woman.

there was a rapper who stabbed himself in the eye with a fork while on PCP...just checked what happened to him and he fell off the fame map but was arrested for a DUI years later so seems like he was still allowed to make his own bad decisions. there wasn't as much money at stake in that case though.

 

[Calliecake]

The more I read about this the more bizarre it seems. I too wonder if any of this would have happened if Brittney were a man. Look at all the things we saw Charlie Sheen do. Wasn‘t he allowed to control of his money and life?

 

[AdaBeta27]

I strongly suspect given the draconian nature of the framework which is in place to safeguard her that her mental health issues are FAR more severe and long lasting than has been disclosed publicly. No information about the nature of her mental illness is disclosed in the public domain and if it was I think we would be drawing perhaps a different picture / conclusion.

That's possible. I caught part of her testimony. Although she doesn't have more than a high school education, she sounded unusually immature and vapid in the language she used to describe her plight, in the clips I heard. What I heard was more whining than well-thought-out logic. Someone on another board raised the issue of Brittney's boyfriend, and the possibility that her father and family may be keeping the conservatorship firmly in place because they don't trust the boyfriend to not take advantage of her. There's a big age difference (12 years), he's Iranian, and people who apparently follow this couple closely in media seem to think that he's pushing her into the marriage and baby ideas. I don't know. I'm only repeating what I read.