Britney Spears Lands Win In Conservatorship Case, Posts #FreeBritney
Britney Spears has secured a huge win in terms of her ongoing conservatorship case, after Los Angeles Superior Court Judge Brenda Penny ruled that she had the right to choose her own attorney. The ruling, which resulted in the court accepting Spears’ choice of lawyer Mathew Rosengart, came after Spears again delivered another emotional testimony in a hearing earlier today (Thursday 15th July).
The appointment of Rosengart, and more importantly the win for Britney, caused an eruption of cheers from fans and #FreeBritney supporters outside the courthouse. And, for the first time, Spears has engaged with the movement directly.
Posting a video compilation of her on horseback as well as her doing cartwheels, Spears wrote, “Coming along, folks ... coming along!!!!! New with real representation today ... I feel GRATITUDE and BLESSED !!!! Thank you to my fans who are supporting me ... You have no idea what it means to me (to) be supported by such awesome fans !!!! God bless you all !!!!!”
In a subsequent reply, she contextualised the video, writing, “Pssss this is me celebrating by horseback riding and doing cartwheels today” before using the hashtag “#FreeBritney”
In court, Spears made her mission clear: “I’m here to get rid of my dad and charge him with conservatorship abuse.”
While she is still pushing for an end to the conservatorship, her immediate priority right now is getting her father, Jamie Spears, out of his conservator role, something she was denied a few weeks ago. “My dad needs to be removed today and I will be happy with Jodi” – Montgomery, co-conservator – “helping me … I’m not willing to sit with anyone to be evaluated.”
Despite this, Jamie recently called for investigations into Britney’s claims for abuse, as if the calls aren’t coming from inside the house. She once again made allegations of various grievances put upon her that she claims go against the conservatorship, like having things like coffee and hair vitamins taken away from her.
“Ma’am, that’s not abuse, that’s just fucking cruelty,” Britney said, “Excuse my language but it’s the truth. They were always trying to make me feel like I’m crazy, which I’m not.”
The hiring of Rosengart comes shortly after Spears’ previous attorney, Samuel D. Ingham, resigned earlier this month. He wasn’t the only member of Spears’ to resign following her 24-minute testimony she gave in June, with her longtime manager Larry Rudolph also resigning as he believed it was in Britney’s “best interest”.
Rosengart appeared to get straight to work in helping to fulfil his new client’s wishes, asking the court today, “Does anybody really believe that Mr Spears’s involvement in the case is in the best interest of Ms Spears? If he loves his daughter, it is time to step aside, so she can move forward.”
The appointment of Rosengart, and more importantly the win for Britney, caused an eruption of cheers from fans and #FreeBritney supporters outside the courthouse. In addition, her partner Sam Asghari took to social media to share his direct support of the #FreeBritney movement.
“Internet is about to explode #freebritney” he wrote in the comments of Spears’ video. He then took to his own account to post a story that used a GIF of text that read “Free Britney”.
Elsewhere in the responses to Spears’ video, Ariana Grande joined many celebrities voicing their support for the superstar, writing “YOU ARE SO VERY LOVED AND SUPPORTED”.
The #FreeBritney movement now has undeniable momentum, and with Spears herself now directly on board, there’s no telling what they’ll be able to achieve.
Written by Jackson Langford, senior music and culture writer at MTV Australia. Hot takes at @jacksonlangford and hotter pics at @jacksonlangford.
