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Here’s Why Britney Spears’ Fight for Freedom Isn’t Over Yet

Honoree Britney Spears attends the 29th Annual GLAAD Media Awards at The Beverly Hilton Hotel on April 12, 2018 in Beverly Hills, California.
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Britney Spears may have won the battle, but she hasn’t won the war — at least, not quite yet. On Thursday, the singer’s father, Jamie, agreed to step down as Spears’ conservator of her estate, which the singer had been directly asking for.

While this was seen a major win for the pop star — she’s been fighting to remove her father as her conservator for several years, to prevent him from having complete control of her $60 million estate and her life — it may be too soon for fans to start celebrating. Spears’ father has been in charge of his daughters’ affairs since she struggled publicly with her mental health in 2008 and, since then, the #FreeBritney movement has gained momentum due to her father controlling her finances, her bodily autonomy and more. Spears has said her father’s conservatorship has been abusive, revealing bombshell after bombshell at a court hearing in June.

Related: Everything you should know about Britney Spears’ bombshell statement.

In court documents filed on Thursday, Jamie Spears argued there were no grounds for removing him as his daughter’s conservator; however, he explained that “he does not believe that a public battle with his daughter over his continuing service as her conservator would be in her best interests.”

“Mr. Spears intends to work with the Court and his daughter’s new attorney to prepare for an orderly transition to a new conservator,” read the court filing.

Britney Spears’ lawyer took the filing as a victory: “We are pleased that Mr. Spears and his lawyer have today conceded in a filing that he must be removed,” Mathew Rosengart said in a statement.

Related: Courtney Love covers “Lucky” in support of Britney Spears.

The road to freedom might take some time

However, even as her father said he will step aside, there is no timeline for when he is set to relinquish control of Britney’s estate, and a judge has not officially ended the conservatorship yet. Without a set date for his departure, he could still be in charge of the star’s day-to-day life for an indefinite amount of time. According to the court filing, her father will only step down “when the time is right” and “the transition needs to be orderly and include a resolution of matters pending before the Court.”

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So what does this mean exactly? Well, until things are resolved in her father’s eyes, he won’t be going anywhere. And, as his filing also stated, “there are no urgent circumstances justifying Mr. Spears’ immediate suspension.”

 

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The pop star has previously referred to the conservatorship as “traumatic” and “abusive.” She has stated that she was medicated against her will, and barred from removing her IUD — things that should merit her father making a speedy exit. But he’s been in control of her life for over a decade, despite her quietly trying to get rid of him for years.

Plus, even when her father does eventually leave, her conservatorship will not be over. He will replaced by a different conservator, so to a certain degree, the “Toxic” singer will have someone else running her life. There is also no way of determining who the new conservator will be.

Until her father is no longer in charge, Spears is still suffering and the #FreeBritney movement continues.

You may also like: It’s Britney, b*tch: Britney Spears’ style evolution.



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