Britney Spears’ first court hearing since the ‘Framing Britney Spears’ documentary took place on Thursday and the judge ruled that her father, Jamie Spears, will remain co-conservator.
However, his power has been limited and he remains co-conservator along with the Bessemer Trust Company.
via People:
On Thursday, a Los Angeles Superior Court Judge Brenda Penny ruled that Bessemer Trust Company, a wealth management and investment advisory firm based out of California, will continue to be co-conservators along with Jamie, PEOPLE can confirm.
Objections raised by Jamie’s lawyer, Vivian Thoreen, on how the co-conservatorship would be delegated were rejected.
Jamie’s objections over language in a proposed order of co-conservatorship filed by Britney’s lawyer, Samuel D. Ingram III, were also denied.
According to Variety, Ingram argued in court that the original proposal of co-conservatorship was to give Bessemer and Jamie “an equal division of responsibility, in the hopes that they would sit down and figure out together the best way to handle this complex estate for the benefit of my client.”
“It’s no secret that my client does not want her father as co-conservator, but we recognize that removal is a separate issue,” Ingham said.
Bessemer and Jamie are expected to work together on a budget and investment plans for Britney’s estate, according to Variety.
Additional hearings have been scheduled for March 17 and April 27.
A representative for Britney and a lawyer for Jamie did not immediately respond to PEOPLE’s request for comment.
Britney was first placed under a conservatorship in 2008, with the court originally naming her father the permanent conservator of her person and attorney Andrew Wallet the permanent co-conservator of her estate. Wallet retired from his role as co-conservator in June 2019.
In September 2019, Jamie stepped down as the permanent conservator due to “personal health reasons” and Jodi Montgomery, the licensed conservator, took his place.
Last summer, Britney filed court documents stating that she is “strongly opposed” to having her father return as sole conservator of her estate and instead “strongly prefers to have a qualified corporate fiduciary appointed to serve in this role.”
“We are now at a point where the conservatorship must be changed substantially in order to reflect the major changes in her current lifestyle and her stated wishes,” Ingham said in an August 2020 filing obtained by PEOPLE.
The pop star suggested Bessemer Trust Company to serve as conservator of her estate in a later filing. The nomination was supported by Britney’s mother, Lynne Spears, in a separate document.
In November, Penny appointed Bessemer and Jamie as co-conservators of Britney’s estate.
It’s a small win for Britney, but at least things are moving in the right direction.
