The conservator with control over Britney Spears’ personal life has hit back at criticisms made by the pop star’s father and in turn accused him of using millions of his daughter’s money to retain control of her finances.
Earlier this week, Spears’ father, Jamie Spears, blamed attorney Jodi Montgomery for the suffering and abuse his daughter testified to experiencing under her 13-year conservatorship, a legal arrangement that puts her finances and most aspects of her personal life under the control of a handful of other people, including her father.
In court documents filed Wednesday, he said Montgomery had been the conservator handling Britney’s “day-to-day personal care and medical treatment” and that he was concerned that Montgomery “does not reflect Ms. Spears’ wishes.”
But on Friday, Montgomery responded directly to that claim in court documents of her own.
“It is ironic that Mr. Spears now wants the conservatorship to ‘reflect her wishes,’ since it is no secret that Ms. Spears has wished her father out of her life for years,” the documents state, per People.
Additionally, in a separate statement, Montgomery said that Jamie Spears’ complete control over his daughter’s finances means that he does in turn influence decisions about her personal care, since he can choose to approve or deny any requested expenses.
Montgomery also accused Jamie Spears of using more than $2 million of his daughter’s money for his own legal efforts to maintain control of her estate, People reported. He did not respond to a request for comment from the news site.
Last month, Britney Spears gave passionate testimony describing the severe mistreatment and lack of freedom she’s experienced as a result of the conservatorship. Spears has asked the court to remove her father from the conservatorship, though she said in her testimony that she also felt Montgomery had gone “too far” in exerting control.
The singer’s conservatorship is divided into one part for her estate and one for her personal life. Jamie Spears originally helmed both parts of the conservatorship, but stepped down as his daughter’s personal conservator in 2019, leaving Montgomery in charge.
Following Britney Spears’ explosive testimony, the wealth management company Bessemer Trust ― which had been appointed to oversee her finances alongside Jamie Spears ― requested to resign, saying it had been under the mistaken impression that the conservatorship had been voluntary on Britney Spears’ part.
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