In the ongoing court battle over Britney Spears’ conservatorship, a judge has declined her father’s request for more control over her estate. Her father, Jamie Spears, has controlled the singer’s career and finances since 2008, following her five-day admission to a psychiatric hospital, despite mounting pressure for his removal.

On November 10, 2020, Judge Brenda Penny appointed the financial company Bessemer Trust as co-conservator alongside Jamie Spears. Despite the singer stating that she’s “strongly opposed” to her father’s role as conservator earlier that year, Penny declined to remove him completely from the position.

Now, the judge has rejected Jamie Spears’ request to maintain his previous level of control over her estate. Under the new ruling, he is expected to work with the financial company to create a budget and investment proposal. The aim is to give Bessemer and Jamie Spears “an equal division of responsibility,” says Britney Spears’ attorney Samuel Ingham (as reported by Variety), “in the hopes that they would sit down and figure out together the best way to handle this complex estate for the benefit of my client.”

“It’s no secret that my client does not want her father as co-conservator, but we recognize that removal is a separate issue,” adds Ingham, who has suggested that he may revisit the issue of Jamie Spears’ removal at a later date. Further hearings are set to be held March 17 and April 27.

The recent hearing also comes in the wake of a documentary detailing Spears’ controversial legal battles, and the subsequent #FreeBritney movement, titled Framing Britney Spears. Following the documentary’s debut earlier this month (February 5), several celebrities including Miley Cyrus and Hayley Williams spoke out in support of Spears.

The pop star herself shared a statement via social media February 9, saying: “no matter what we think we know about a person’s life, it is nothing compared to the actual person living behind the lens.”

“Each person has their story and their take on other people’s stories!!!! We all have so many different bright, beautiful lives!!!”