Attorneys spar over powers held by Britney Spears’ father (13 February 2021, for {EMAIL})

LOS ANGELES (AP) — Attorneys for Britney Spears and her father sparred Thursday over how he should share power with a financial company newly appointed as his partner in the conservatorship that controls her money. Los Angeles Superior Court Judge Brenda Penny overruled an objection of Jamie Spears' attorney, Vivian Lee Thoreen, who argued that he should not yield previously granted rights and powers while working with his new co-conservator, The Bessemer Trust. Thoreen had argued that the proposed order Britney Spears' court-appointed attorney Samuel Ingham III drafted to appoint the new co-conservator was “unclear and ambiguous by design” as he seeks to take authority away from Jamie Spears. Others of her objections to the order were sustained. In a statement to The Associated Press after the hearing, Thoreen said “the rulings show the court's confidence in our client Jamie Spears and Bessemer Trust to manage the conservatorship of Ms. Spears estate together,” and said Jamie Spears “looks forward to working with Bessemer... in the best interests of his daughter." While the judge's decision can be seen as a minor victory for Britney Spears and Ingham, appointed by the court to speak directly for her in the conservatorship’s decisions, Ingham repeated that her goal is to have her father out entirely. “It is no secret that my client does not want her father as co-conservator,” Ingham said. “But we recognize that removal is a separate issue.” The judge declined Ingham's request to suspend Jamie Spears as conservator at a dramatic and contentious hearing in November, at which Ingham said that Britney Spears feared her father and refused to resume her career so long as he had power over it. Thoreen said the statements were inadmissible hearsay that did not reflect the reality of the situation. Penny instead appointed the Bessemer Trust as a co-conservator, leading to the current fight over power-sharing. Thursday's hearing was more technical and less emotional than November's hearing. The hearing came in the wake of the release of the FX and Hulu documentary “The New York Times Presents: Framing Britney." The documentary has few new revelations. But its historical look at the circumstances that led to the establishment of the conservatorship in 2008 have spurred sympathy for Britney Spears and brought greater attention to the case and the so-called #FreeBritney movement of fans who want to see her released and given control of her life. Those fans increasingly include celebrities. Many including Bette Midler tweeted the #FreeBritney hashtag after the documentary aired. Miley Cyrus shouted “We love Britney!” during her pre-Super Bowl performance Sunday. Pitbull, at a Hollywood news conference Thursday, said, “as far as what’s going on with Britney, that’s been going on for many, many, many years. Hopefully, they can break this cycle. And hopefully she gets a chance to control her own destiny.” The #FreeBritney protesters, some of whom were interviewed in the documentary, were chanting and holding signs at the downtown LA courthouse Thursday. Thoreen defended the work of the conservatorship. “From the beginning, the court has closely monitored Britney's situation," her statement to the AP said, "including annual accountings and in-depth reviews from a highly experienced and dedicated court investigator.” At Thursday’s hearing, Thoreen emphasized that Britney Spears asked for and approved of her father’s role as recently as 2019. “Ms. Spears reflected in court papers that she wanted her father to be the sole conservator of her estate,” Thoreen said. Jamie Spears has repeatedly emphasized the need for the conservatorship in order to protect his daughter from those who would, or already have, preyed on her. “My client Jamie Spears has diligently and professionally carried out his duties as one of Britney's conservators,” Thoreen's statement said, “and his love for his daughter and dedication to protecting her is clearly apparent to the court.” Britney Spears did not take part in part in the hearing. She rarely appears in court. Now 39 and the mother of two sons, she has not performed, recorded music or made media appearances since declaring a career hiatus early in 2019. On her Twitter and Instagram accounts Tuesday, she shared a video of a performance from three years earlier with the caption, “I’ll always love being on stage …. But I am taking the time to learn and be a normal person ….. I love simply enjoying the basics of every day life!!!!” Daily digest [Attorneys spar over powers held by Britney Spears’ father]( [Attorneys spar over powers held by Britney Spears’ father]( [LOS ANGELES (AP) — Attorneys for Britney Spears and her father sparred Thursday over how he should share power with a financial company newly appointed as his partner in the conservatorship that controls her money. Los Angeles Superior Court Judge Brenda Penny overruled an objection of Jamie...]( [Biden administration to allow 25,000 asylum-seekers into US]( [Biden administration to allow 25,000 asylum-seekers into US]( [SAN DIEGO (AP) — The Biden administration on Friday announced plans for tens of thousands of asylum-seekers waiting in Mexico for their next immigration court hearings to be allowed into the United States while their cases proceed. The first of an estimated 25,000 asylum-seekers in Mexico with...]( [Court rejects restriction on use of medical marijuana]( [Court rejects restriction on use of medical marijuana]( [TRAVERSE CITY, Mich. (AP) — Judges can’t prevent people from using medical marijuana while on probation for a crime. The Michigan appeals court ruled in the case of a man who was barred from using medical marijuana for a year despite having a state-issued card. The appeals court says Michigan's...]( [White House aide suspended for threatening reporter]( [White House aide suspended for threatening reporter]( [WASHINGTON (AP) — White House deputy press secretary T.J. Ducklo has been suspended for a week without pay after he reportedly issued a sexist and profane threat to a journalist seeking to cover his relationship with another reporter. White House press secretary Jen Psaki said in a statement...]( - Advertisement - Top stories [2 bodies found amid search for missing Portage couple]( [2 bodies found amid search for missing Portage couple]( [PORTAGE, Mich. (WOOD) — Police on Friday afternoon recovered two bodies in the Gourdneck State Game Area, where they were searching for a Portage couple missing for more than a week. Portage...]( [Restaurants gear up for big Valentine’s Day weekend]( [Restaurants gear up for big Valentine’s Day weekend]( [GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. (WOOD) — It's not the biggest holiday of the year in the restaurant business. But after two long shutdowns since Valentine’s Day 2020 and a pent-up desire to gather, restaurants...]( [Biden to visit Pfizer in Portage next week]( [Biden to visit Pfizer in Portage next week]( [PORTAGE, Mich. (WOOD) — President Joe Biden is expected to visit Pfizer's plant in Portage, where COVID-19 vaccines are being manufactured, next week. This will be Biden's first visit to Michigan...]( [Man eyed in parents’ disappearance also linked to 2018 case]( [Man eyed in parents’ disappearance also linked to 2018 case]( [PORTAGE, Mich. (WOOD) — A Portage man considered a person of interest after his parents disappeared is also a person of interest in a 2018 missing persons case, police say. Bonifacio Miguel Pena...]( In case you missed it... [Michigan reports about 1,200 more coronavirus cases]( [Michigan reports about 1,200 more coronavirus cases]( [GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. (WOOD) — Michigan has reported 1,193 more confirmed cases of coronavirus and 10 more deaths linked to the virus. The Friday update brings the total number of cases in the state to 573,372 since the virus was first detected in Michigan 11 months ago and the total number of...]( [DeVos Place now charging only operational costs for vaccine clinic]( [DeVos Place now charging only operational costs for vaccine clinic]( [GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. (WOOD) — DeVos Place Convention Center in downtown Grand Rapids has dropped its rental price for serving as a mass COVID-19 vaccination site from $12,000 per day to zero. Kent County will now have to pay only for operational costs like utilities, janitorial and maintenance...]( [Brinks pushes for property tax relief for businesses hurt by COVID-19]( [Brinks pushes for property tax relief for businesses hurt by COVID-19]( [GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. (WOOD) — In addition to Gov. Gretchen Whitmer’s plan to continue supporting businesses hit hard by the pandemic, there's bipartisan support for some property tax relief in the Michigan legislature. Earlier this week, Sen. Winnie Brinks, D-Grand Rapids, introduced Senate Bill...]( [Legacy of Grand Rapids’ first Black-owned barbershop lives on]( [Legacy of Grand Rapids’ first Black-owned barbershop lives on]( [GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. (WOOD) — One of Grand Rapids' first Black business owners ran a barbershop in what was the first in a long line of safe havens in the Black community. "We don't think of a barber as a Jeff Bezos," Dr. Randal Jelks, author of "African Americans in the Furniture City," said....]( [Feedback]( [Unsubscribe]( [About us]( © 1998-2017 woodtv.com | Nexstar Broadcasting, Inc. | 120 College Ave SE Grand Rapids, MI 49503 To ensure you receive these emails in the future, please add wood@publisher-news.com to your address book, contacts or list of safe senders.