Britney Spears returns to court: here’s what to expect

(CNN Spanish) – Since Britney Spears appeared in court remotely to have her 2008 court-ordered guardianship lifted, a lot has changed.

During the hearing, the 39-year-old pop star expressed his anger, frustration and sadness at his current guardianship in which his father, Jamie Spears, is the guardian of his estimated estate, in 2020, in US $ 60 million.

“I just want my life back and it’s been 13 years and that’s enough,” Spears told Los Angeles Superior Court Judge Brenda Penny on June 23.

Following the explosive testimony, her guardianship case will be addressed again Wednesday at a court hearing where Judge Penny is expected to consider the singer’s request for a new attorney, along with other requests in the case. Although Spears is not expected to be present in court, it is possible that she will call by phone, as she did at the last hearing.

Here’s everything that has happened in the Britney Spears case since her first virtual court appearance.

Jamie Spears asks judge to investigate daughter’s claims

On June 30, Jamie Spears’ attorneys filed a couple of requests, one of which asks the judge to launch an investigation into the claims made by Britney Spears, where the singer alleged that she was forced to act and take medication against her will.

“Either the allegations will be shown to be true, in which case corrective action must be taken,” says a petition from Jamie Spears’ attorneys, obtained by CNN, “or they will be proven false, in which case the guardianship may continue its course. It is not acceptable for conservatives or the Court to do nothing in response to Ms. Spears’ testimony. “

Britney Spears called the court-ordered guardianship “abusive” stating that she felt compelled to act, take medication and use contraceptives against her will by her conservatives, one of whom is her father.

Denial of Judge Brenda Penny

On July 1, a week after Spears testified in court, Judge Brenda Penny denied a request to remove Britney Spears’ father as guardian of her daughter’s estate, and made official a request made in November 2020. to allow a trust to act as co-guardian.

“The guardian’s request to suspend James P. Spears immediately following the appointment of Bessemer Trust Company of California as sole guardian of the estate is denied without prejudice,” the court record states.

However, this decision was not the result of the explosive hearing, rather it was a decision made from a request filed in November of last year in which Spears’ attorney requested that the wealth management firm request the resignation and that Bessemer Trust served as co-tutor alongside the singer’s father.

Bessemer Trust, co-guardian of Spears’ estate, requests to resign

On July 2, the day after Judge Penny denied Spears’s request to remove her father as co-guardian of her estate, and ordered the Bessemer Trust to be the co-guardian of Britney Spears’ $ 60 million estate, the Wealth management firm requested the resignation.

In court documents obtained by CNN on Thursday, the Bessemer Trust cited “changing circumstances” following Spears’ explosive testimony at a hearing last week, during which it called the guardianship “abusive.”

“The person in custody claimed irreparable damage to his interests in his testimony and, more specifically, the objection of the person in custody to the continuation of the voluntary guardianship and his desire to terminate it,” the Bessemer Trust petition read. “The petitioner has listened to the person in custody and respects his wishes.”

Spears manager Larry Rudolph resigns

On July 5, Larry Rudolph, who was Britney Spears’ manager for 25 years, submitted his resignation letter.

“It has been over two and a half years since Britney and I last contacted each other, at which point she informed me that she wanted to take an indefinite break from work,” Rudolph wrote in the letter Deadline first obtained. “Earlier today, I realized that Britney had expressed her intention to officially retire.”

A source with knowledge of the situation confirmed the news to CNN. Rudolph’s resignation letter was sent to Spears ‘father, Jamie Spears, and Jodi Montgomery, who was appointed as Spears’ temporary guardian in 2019, after Jamie Spears suffered a series of medical problems. Montgomery is tasked with managing Spears’ daily care and medical decisions.

The letter continued: “As you know, I have never been part of the curatorship or its operations, so I am not aware of many of these details. I was originally hired at Britney’s request to help manage and assist her with her career. And as her manager, I think Britney should resign from her team, as my professional services are no longer necessary. “

“Please accept this letter as my formal resignation,” he said.

“I will always be incredibly proud of what we accomplished during our 25 years together. I wish Britney all the health and happiness in the world, and I will be there for her if she ever needs me again, as I always have been.” resignation letter.

Samuel D. Ingham requests his resignation

On July 6, Samuel D. Ingham, a lawyer who was appointed by Judge Reva GoetzIngham in 2008, petitioned to resign from his position. Ingham stated that the resignation would take effect upon the appointment of a new court-appointed attorney for Spears.

This resignation occurs after Spears expressed in court her desire to hire an attorney of her choice, and Judge Penny has the authority to appoint a new attorney for Spears.

“My biggest takeaway from all of this is that they denied an attorney of their choice from the beginning of the case,” Tom Coleman, an attorney with the Spectrum Institute, a nonprofit organization that supports guardianship reform in the state of California.

Following Spears’ statements in court, Ingham told Penny that he understood she was serving the prerogative of the court.

“If the judge thinks that the current court appointed attorney was not doing the job properly or, even without any judgment on suitability, if the court simply wanted to grant the protected person’s wish for a new attorney, then it could done without much notice or warning, “Kanin said.

Jodi Montgomery asks to help Spears

On July 7, Jodi Montgomery, who as her temporary guardian oversees Spears’ medical care, filed a petition with the court stating that the singer asked her to help her find an attorney. Montgomery asks the court to appoint a guardian ad Litem to assist in the process.

Spears might have a new lawyer

Britney Spears is in talks with Mathew Rosengart, a former federal prosecutor, about the possibility of representing her in her guardianship battle, a source with knowledge of the matter tells CNN.

Rosengart is currently a shareholder in the Greenberg Traurig litigation firm. He has represented Steven Spielberg, Julia Louis-Dreyfus, and Sean Penn in the past.

Rosengart did not offer comment when contacted by CNN.

With information from Chloe Melas.