Britney Spears will tell a Los Angeles judge today, how her father oversees control of her personal and business affairs, in a highly controversial 13-year arrangement that has seen the pop star go from meltdown to comeback only to retreat again.
The now 39-year-old is not expected to appear in person, but instead via audio link. Spears is under a conservatorship, or guardianship, since 2008 when she suffered a breakdown.
The singer’s pop culture icon status, and the mystery surrounding her mental health, has focused attention on today’s hearing.
Scott Rahn, a Los Angeles attorney told Reuters “She was America’s sweetheart … She’s a slice of Americana, and her history and watching her troubles and resurrection is also part of the American story”
Last year, Spears began the legal process to remove her father, Jamie Spears, from handling personal affairs ranging from her medical care to who visits her secluded villa outside Los Angeles. Jamie Spears also is a joint conservator of the singer’s finances.
The New York Times this week said it obtained confidential court documents that showed Spears has been pushing against the restrictions since 2014, and also that she had been forced into a mental health facility two years ago, the newspaper reported.
Spears, who now communicates to the world through Instagram said last week that she had no idea whether she would ever perform again.
“I’m having fun right now, I’m in a transition in my life and I’m enjoying myself,” she added on Instagram. In November she said she was “the happiest I’ve ever been.”
The #FreeBritney fan movement plans a rally near the courthouse to highlight its concerns that the singer is sending cryptic messages through Instagram ”begging to be liberated.”
