Court documents show Britney Spears begged to end ‘oppressive’ conservatorship in 2016

She's also 'sick of being taken advantage of'

(Image credit: FilmMagic)

She's also 'sick of being taken advantage of'

News surrounding the Britney Spears conservatorship saga just in - new documents have revealed that the star branded the situation as 'oppressive and controlling' as far back as 2016.

From the beginning of 2019, claims that the Toxic singer was being unfairly and unlawfully co-managed by her father, Jamie Spears, under an American conservatorship law, started emerging. A documentary on the matter, Free Britney, was released earlier this year.

And now, new court documents obtained by The New York Times show Britney herself labelling the conservatorship as both ‘oppressive and controlling’, while further 'begging for it to end', as far back as 2016.

The documents state that a court investigator said: "She articulated she feels the conservatorship has become an oppressive and controlling tool against her." It also shares that Britney feels the system has ‘too much control…too, too much.'

The investigator further added: "She is 'sick of being taken advantage of' and she said she is the one working and earning her money but everyone around her is on her payroll."

Britney's lawyer further wrote in the documents: "She said to me, when she gave me this shopping list, that she anticipates that, as it has been done before, the court will simply sweep it under the carpet and ignore any negative inferences with regard to Mr Spears."

This refers to a 2014 ‘shopping list’ of grievances about Jamie which Britney's lawyer put forward with the aim of highlighting the reasons he's unfit to act as conservator. His drinking habits were included on the list.

In 2016, it's thought that Britney and her lawyers were told it would take a year's worth of therapy and negative drug tests for the request to be considered.

Her lawyers maintain that she has provided clean drug tests in the past.

Britney is meant to appear in court today to speak about the conservatorship, and how she feels about being co-managed by her father, Jamie, and a bank.

She was placed under the conservatorship back in 2008 after suffering a mental health crisis. When reviewed, a judge took the decision to make it an indefinite order.

More as we have it.

Ally Head
Senior Health, Sustainability and Relationships Editor

Ally Head is Marie Claire UK's Senior Health, Sustainability, and Relationships Editor, nine-time marathoner, and Boston Qualifying runner. Day-to-day, she works across site strategy, features, and e-commerce, reporting on the latest health updates, writing the must-read health and wellness content, and rounding up the genuinely sustainable and squat-proof gym leggings worth *adding to basket*. She's won a BSME for her sustainability work, regularly hosts panels and presents for events like the Sustainability Awards, and saw nine million total impressions on the January 2023 Wellness Issue she oversaw. Follow Ally on Instagram for more or get in touch.