Meet the Other Phone. A phone that grows with your child.

Meet the Other Phone.
A phone that grows with your child.

Buy now

Please or to access all these features

AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Judge has denied Britney Spears’s request!

214 replies

PoisionIvy22 · 01/07/2021 07:29

....AIBU to think WTF?!

What is actually going to her? I feel so sad waking up to that news this morning. Is the judge on the payroll too or something? It’s just awful Sad

Any judges here that can shed any light on why she can’t be free to live her life?

OP posts:
Harriedharriet · 01/07/2021 14:25

@Bluntness100

The thing is though, Britney thinks he is her “boyfriend”, when it’s strongly rumoured these men are paid employees.

Now I don’t know if that’s the truth, or if he genuinely is her boyfriend, or someone being paid to be her companion in this manner so she has a semblance of a normal life but is managed in a manner so she is safe.

What we do know is she is never long without a “boyfriend” seldom single for any period, but to be honest I’m not sure even she knows the truth of it.

Think about this though- someone being paid to have sex with her, lie and pretend about their feelings for her and probably report back to someone about it all. It is a mind blowing possibility, and without doubt would drive anybody crazy. The movie Gaslight springs to mind. It does seem that she needs help after all that has been inflicted on her but they could remove the father.
MotionActivatedDog · 01/07/2021 14:27

@ahoyshipmates

In her shoes I'd walk into the British Consulate in New York and ask for asylum.
How could she possibly do that?? She can’t do anything without permission!
moonbedazzled · 01/07/2021 14:32

The purpose of the hearing was to have the Bessemer Trust confirmed to be able to manage her financial affairs. Britneys lawyer tagged on a request to have her father removed as co-conservator. The judge decided that as that was not the purpose of the hearing and so full facts were not presented, she couldn't make a judgement on that. Another hearing where that will be heard is scheduled for later this month.

Hashtag campaigns and banner carrying protesters, none of whom have possession of all the facts, don't and shouldn't influence legal rulings.

minnimiss · 01/07/2021 14:33

I think part of the problem is her requesting this without being reassessed and of the problem is that I believe she was not allowed to choose her own legal team, he father appointed hers for her. Previous assessments are all they have to go on when trying to establish how her mental health is and her legal team are just not fighting hard enough!

TotorosCatBus · 01/07/2021 14:41

Really disappointing news.
There are plenty of male celebrities who have acted "crazy" eg Charlie Sheen and I don't see anyone doing this to him for 13 years.

#freeBritney

moonbedazzled · 01/07/2021 14:49

@minnimiss

I think part of the problem is her requesting this without being reassessed and of the problem is that I believe she was not allowed to choose her own legal team, he father appointed hers for her. Previous assessments are all they have to go on when trying to establish how her mental health is and her legal team are just not fighting hard enough!
Her lawyer is court appointed, he is NOT appointed by her father. She can request he be changed at any time.
ItscoldinAlaska · 01/07/2021 14:52

I had a significant mental health episode when I was 21 (psychosis induced by starvation) and was detained under Section 3. My parents were given something called an LPA, because I didn't have any capacity to make decisions about artificial feeding and if I hadn't had NG feeding at the time I would have died. I was also sectioned due to an attempted suicide where it was deemed a near completion. I was pretty determined to do myself in basically haha!

I am afraid I recognised a lot of my illness in Spears latest statement. In fact, it read a lot like my diary at the time. I too accused my psychiatrist, my MH nurse and my parents of being abusive. I felt like I was being abused at the time but they were actually trying to save my life. These things follow you round forever - whether it seems fair to you or not, they are generally put in place as a last resort and are incredibly difficult to exit and leave behind fully. It is hard for everyone involved in the decision making, my Mum is still traumatised by the process. Once you have a set of behaviours recorded in your medical history and in your family people are wary. I work FT in a very responsible job. I parent 3 children. I navigate a relationship. I own my own home. I clean, I cook. I am a very good performing monkey. But I still have a wariness to deal with - from medical professionals, from my family, I can't get life insurance, there are hoops I have to jump through legally to live my life normally. I will never be completely normal and I will probably relapse but i am glad there are processes in place that saved my life. It is very easy to jump to a conclusion that this is all about financial abuse but being responsible (legally, personally, familiar, and professionally) for a seriously mentally ill person is no picnic.

Bluntness100 · 01/07/2021 14:54

Think about this though- someone being paid to have sex with her, lie and pretend about their feelings for her and probably report back to someone about it all

I know it’s horrifying. Oh the other hand she is safe. She’s not with someone who will do her further harm. She thinks she’s really got a boyfriend and to all extents and purposes she does.

He’s clearly not doing it out of duress, and he’d not be the first person to be with someone for money, Christ every single day on here we see some poster staying with their spouse for the money and lying to their face about it. This might be different but at it’s core it’s not that different. Being with someone for th money/lifestyle and lying to them that you love them.

DrSbaitso · 01/07/2021 14:57

@Bluntness100

Think about this though- someone being paid to have sex with her, lie and pretend about their feelings for her and probably report back to someone about it all

I know it’s horrifying. Oh the other hand she is safe. She’s not with someone who will do her further harm. She thinks she’s really got a boyfriend and to all extents and purposes she does.

He’s clearly not doing it out of duress, and he’d not be the first person to be with someone for money, Christ every single day on here we see some poster staying with their spouse for the money and lying to their face about it. This might be different but at it’s core it’s not that different. Being with someone for th money/lifestyle and lying to them that you love them.

There are enormous issues of sexual ethics involved if this is true. It's not his informed consent that's concerning and it's not comparable to a marriage of two compos mentis people.
MrsPelligrinoPetrichor · 01/07/2021 15:02

Maybe her dad isn’t the best conservator but she needs one otherwise she will end up bankrupt and dead within a decade I'd bet it would be a lot sooner than that.

There are plenty of male celebrities who have acted "crazy" eg Charlie Sheen and I don't see anyone doing this to him for 13 years

Does he suffer from a serious mental health illness? I was only aware of drink/drugs. You can't compare two people anyway without a medical degree and full access to their notes,which we don't have.

If my family member (I'm being deliberately vague) had be left to their own devices they would have no money and no house. You would have no idea just how ill they were by spending time with them yet they were 4 years in a psychiatric hospital and are only at home now as they are heavily medically supervised.

It's also worth noting that IME it can be commonplace for the ill person to 'turn against' someone who is involved with their care plan be that a family member or doctor- BS's father and the doctor she liked then didn't like. They are seen as the enemy who controls what they're allowed to do.

When I listened to BS in court IMO it didn't sound like someone who was stable at all.

Bluntness100 · 01/07/2021 15:08

There are enormous issues of sexual ethics involved if this is true. It's not his informed consent that's concerning and it's not comparable to a marriage of two compos mentis people

That’s true completely.

HopeForTheBestExpectTheWorst · 01/07/2021 15:11

Just take a look at her Instagram - really, just look. EVEN IF it's not her posting all that stuff, she thinks she is (she addresses her viewers) and the dancing, twirling, dirty hair, messy makeup, teeny tiny bikinis and outfits that she's constantly tugging down on, the manic fast weird way of speaking, the bizarre "projects" that she talks about - really, there is so much more to this than we have been told, but it's clear that there IS something going on. This is not a well person.

And agree with the PP that people in this sort of situation often turn against those who are looking out for them.

MrsPelligrinoPetrichor · 01/07/2021 15:17

HopeForTheBestExpectTheWorst I agree, I look at her and see a very ill person and that's with stabilising medication. I feel so sorry for all concerned.

ThursdayWeld · 01/07/2021 15:20

He hasn't denied her request. She needs to make a new request, then testify again.

SpindleWhorl · 01/07/2021 15:27

She shouldn't be working. People shouldn't be allowed to pay to see her perform.

FeelTheRush · 01/07/2021 15:30

Look at her Instagram, she is not a well person.

MrsPelligrinoPetrichor · 01/07/2021 15:30

When was the last time she performed?

Micemakingclothes · 01/07/2021 15:36

I don’t understand how someone can be both capable of working a rigorous show schedule in Las Vegas and need a conservatorship.

The rest of my thoughts are pure speculative gossip fodder, but I can’t help but wonder if this battle is really about her history of choosing really poorly with men and possibly doing the same with the current fiancé.

Micemakingclothes · 01/07/2021 15:38

I guess what I am trying to say is that I get the impression she really is unwell and that her father is a really bad choice of guardian, but that the courts are afraid to make a change given the looming presence of the fiancé.

MrsPelligrinoPetrichor · 01/07/2021 15:41

I don’t understand how someone can be both capable of working a rigorous show schedule in Las Vegas and need a conservatorship
Just because she's able to manage one aspect of her life doesn't mean she's able to cope with others.

Bluntness100 · 01/07/2021 15:49

@MrsPelligrinoPetrichor

I don’t understand how someone can be both capable of working a rigorous show schedule in Las Vegas and need a conservatorship Just because she's able to manage one aspect of her life doesn't mean she's able to cope with others.
I think a lot of folks struggle with that concept. That someone can dance and mime every night but not be able to function in other ways. Or that she may have deeply desired to do it at the time and now her recollection of that is changed, that her perception of reality maybe skewed as it so often is. The point here is we don’t know.
moonbedazzled · 01/07/2021 15:51

@Pedalpushers

Whether she needs a conservator or not, I don't see ANY justification for her father remaining against her stated wishes (especially on the grounds of his testimony that removing him is against Britney's best wishes...WHAT). Any appointed person could carry out the role. If anything, her father is detrimental to her mental health (creating a viscious cycle where her deteriorating mental health is then used as further evidence against her) and he literally ATTACKED HER CHILD and caused them to be removed from her custody. How can any judge say that is in her best interests?
This is NOT what happened. She lost custody because in 2007 she was, according to the court, an habitual user of drugs and alcohol, she endangered her children and she had several misdemeanour chages against her. She was given a chance by the court to rectify matters and then didn't bother to show up for court appearances. She was then diagnosed with an out of control, untreated mental illness. Are you saying if your partner had the same against him, you would be happy for him to keep custody of your children?

In 2019, 12 years after losing custody, jer father grabbed her son by his arms and shook him. By this time she had already got part time custody of her children and after this incident, her custody rose to 30%. Which is roughly what NRP receive in this country.

Wrong information like this is exactly this is why opinions of random people on social media don't get to tell judges, who have all the facts, how to rule.

MrsPelligrinoPetrichor · 01/07/2021 15:56

I think a lot of folks struggle with that concept. That someone can dance and mime every night but not be able to function in other ways. Or that she may have deeply desired to do it at the time and now her recollection of that is changed, that her perception of reality maybe skewed as it so often is. The point here is we don’t know totally agree

TheReluctantPhoenix · 01/07/2021 16:11

There is a lot of money in this conservatorship. Which means there is a lot of incentive to perpetuate it.

If it were ‘straight up’, the conservators would play it by the book, give her a choice of expensive lawyers to represent her, let her see top well known medical experts, and allow as much information into the public eye as they can without compromising her privacy.

None of the above have happened.

For those saying ‘we don’t know all the facts’, I suspect more and more will come out now, and the more comes out, the stinkier it will seem.

LadyEloise · 01/07/2021 16:47

Like @butterpuffed I too would like to know where her mother is in all of this.

It's so sad.
What about her children ?
Who looks after them ?