Britney Spears is still locked in a legal debate over the terms of her conservatorship, and has most recently said – in court documents filed on September 2, and obtained by Us Weekly – that she wants the case to be made open to the public.

Previous court hearings have been closed to the public and press, apparently at the behest of her father, Jamie Spears, who controlled the conservatorship from 2008 to 2019, when he stepped down due to health issues and Jodi Montgomery took over the role. The pop star has previously requested that her father is removed from the conservatorship altogether, and now claims that he’s been working to keep the legal proceedings in the dark. 

“Britney herself is vehemently opposed to this effort by her father to keep her legal struggle hidden away in the closet as a family secret,” says her attorney, Samuel D. Ingham III, in the new filing.

Britney’s lawyers have also discussed the ongoing #FreeBritney movement, which suggests he is controlling his daughter and campaigns for her release from the conservatorship, but has gone largely unacknowledged (at least publicly). 

Referencing Jamie Spears’ recent statement that the movement “is a joke” made up by “conspiracy theorists” in a Page Six interview (August 1), Ingham says: “Far from being a conspiracy theory or a ‘joke’ as James reportedly told the media, in large part this scrutiny is a reasonable and even predictable result of James’ aggressive use of the sealing procedure over the years to minimise the amount of meaningful information made available to the public.”

“Whatever merits his strategy might have had years ago when Britney was trying to restart her career, at this point in her life when she is trying to regain some measure of personal autonomy, Britney welcomes and appreciates the informed support of her many fans.”

Jamie Spears originally became Britney’s conservator following her alleged breakdown in 2007. The conservatorship grants control over much of her career, estate, finances, and personal life, and has recently been extended to at least 2021, though her sister, Jamie Lynn Spears, is now reportedly in charge of her trust.