Britney Spears news – live: Singer shares life advice online hours before conservatorship hearing – The Independent

When Britney Spears first asked to be released from her conservatorship back in June, she said to the judge: “I want to end the conservatorship without having to be evaluated.”

Traditionally, judges rely on psychological assessments when deciding on whether to end a conservatorship, to see if a conservatee has regained what is deemed as their “capacity” to live and work independently once more.

In most cases, a psychologist completes a report and after their evaluations, the report is sent to the judge overseeing the case – here, that would be Judge Brenda Penny.

The issue with Spears is controversial, however, considering that while under the conservatorship, she still continued to perform extensively, earning millions in the process as a global celebrity figure.

Since the first hearing in June, Spears has been firm in her belief that no psychological assessment should take place.

“I don’t think I owe anyone to be evaluated,” Spears told the court in June, adding, “I’ve done more than enough.”

According to The New York Times, there is no public record of Judge Penny calling for a psychological assessment of Spears in this case as yet.

The New York Times also note that Spears’ lawyer, Mathew Rosengart, said of a recent filing that “lawyers for Spears’s father, James Spears, had stated ‘no less than three times that no mental or psychological evaluation is required under the Probate Code,’ to which Mr. Rosengart added: ‘Ms Spears fervently agrees.’”

We will discover later on whether one has been carried out or whether, as per Spears’ wishes, the court agrees that she’s “done more than enough” already.

You can watch what is happening live from outside the court house in L.A. in the video below.

The hearing begins at the Stanley Mosk Courthouse in Los Angeles in just under one hour’s time – 1:30pm PT (4:30 p.m. ET and 9:30 p.m. GMT).

Another twist in the conservatorship case emerged this week when Britney Spears’s former business manager denied any involvement in the alleged bugging of the singer’s home.

In September, a new documentary claimed that Britney’s father Jamie was in charge of a surveillance set up that tracked his daughter’s messages and calls, as well as secretly recorded the singer’s interactions in her bedroom.

Jamie says that his daughter was aware of the recordings.

Now, Lou Taylor, who runs the Tri Star Sports and Entertainment Group that was involved in running Britney’s conservatorship until August 2020, has publicly claimed that she was not involved in the alleged surveillance operation or controlling her medical treatment.

TMZ reported this week that her business partner, Robin Greenhill, submitted a declaration claiming: “No one at Tri Star is aware of any hidden electronic surveillance device placed in Ms Spears’s bedroom… No one at Tri Star has ever had any control over Ms Spears’s medical treatment.”

Taylor has also reportedly filed legal documents against Britney’s lawyer Mathew Rosengart, who says he believes the “Toxic” singer’s money was mishandled.

Rosengart had asked to see Tri Star’s accounting covering her last 13 years of involvement in Britney’s conservatorship, which Taylor has reportedly objected to on the basis that the company submitted regular accounts while working on the legal guardianship.

They say that the company submitted a complete set of records containing more than 16,000 files when they stopped representing Spears.

Rosengart, however, argues that Britney was at a financial disadvantage during her conservatorship as “her own lawyer at the time didn’t protect her or her money”.

The Independent contacted Britney’s representatives for comment earlier this week.

Yesterday (11 November), supporters of Spears held a #FreeBritney rally outside the Tri Star Sports and Entertainment building in West Hollywood, California. You can see some images from the rally below.

Earlier today, Britney Spears shared her top 10 “pointers for life” for fans ahead of her conservatorship hearing in Los Angeles today.

The pop star will find out later if the conservatorship, which allowed her father and others involved to exercise control over her life and money for the past 14 years, will be terminated.

My colleague Kate Ng reports:

More images and footage is now emerging now from outside the Stanley Mosk Courthouse in Los Angeles ahead of Britney Spears’ conservatorship hearing which begins at 1:30pm PT (4:30 p.m. ET and 9:30 p.m. GMT).

A huge media presence is already in place, and members of the #FreeBritney movement are now gathering outside to show their support.

You can see some more images and footage from the scene below:

Over on Instagram, Britney has shared a new post ahead of her conservatorship ruling in just a few hours time.

Spears shared a video of herself dressed in a tied-off green shirt and white shorts, looking into the camera. The video was soundtracked by Ed Sheeran’s “Shivers”.

You can see the video here:

Fans of Britney Spears are making their way to the Stanley Mosk Courthouse in Los Angeles, in anticipation of the hearing which begins at 1:30pm PT (4:30 p.m. ET and 9:30 p.m. GMT).

Many of her fans have been declaring today “freedom day” online in the hope Judge Brenda Penny will finally dissolve the conservatorship that has controlled her personal life and business affairs since 2008. You can see some of the fans on their way to the courthouse here, some of whom have been travelling since yesterday:

Some of Britney’s fans online are reporting that nobody will be allowed to leave the courtroom today until the hearing ends.

Britney Army tweeted: “A new rule has been put in place for today. No one will be allowed to leave the courtroom until the hearing ends. The bailiffs have been very respectful and patient at every hearing and as always we are going to respect them and their rules.”

Fans around the world are hopeful that the conservatorship that has controlled Britney Spears’ life for the last thirteen years will come to an end later today.

At a hearing in a downtown Los Angeles courtroom, a probate judge will decide whether to terminate the conservatorship that has exercised vast control over the pop superstar’s life and money since 2008.

Legally, all the signs are pointing to the conservatorship finally coming to an end.

With no significant opposition from anyone involved, it appears likely Judge Brenda Penny will dissolve the legal arrangement. Spears’ attorney, her parents, and the court appointees who control the conservatorship all publicly support termination.

Jodi Montgomery, the conservator who oversees the singer’s life and medical decisions, has developed a care plan with her therapists and doctors to guide her through the end of the conservatorship and its aftermath.

However, Penny has not given overt signals to what she will decide, and she has considerable discretion and power. Legal or bureaucratic hurdles, or lingering concerns over Spears’ medical care or finances, could still slow down what might seem like the inevitable end.

It is not clear whether Spears, 39, will take part in the hearing. Fans who have demanded the court #FreeBritney, whom she has credited with bringing her to this point, will be outside the courthouse in significant numbers.

You can read more about the potential ending of the conservatorship here:

Britney’s legion of fans around the world are already hopeful that the musician will finally be free of her conservatorship later today.

Ahead of the hearing at the Stanley Mosk Courthouse in Los Angeles, fans have been declaring today “freedom day” in the hope Judge Brenda Penny will finally dissolve the conservatorship that has controlled her personal life and business affairs since 2008.

You can see some of the latest tweets from fans here: