Why Jamie Spears Thinks He Should Be Praised For Protecting Britney
It was a win for Britney Spears on August 12 when her father, Jamie, agreed to step down from handling the conservatorship she has been under since 2008. When Jamie first set up the conservatorship, it was after his daughter had several public controversies, according to Variety. But over the last year, Spears has been trying to both get her father to leave the conservatorship, as well as dissolve the entire arrangement.
In court testimony in June of 2021, Spears tearfully told a judge how the conservatorship keeps the 39-year-old from making her own personal, professional, and medical decisions, and that under the arrangement, she is forced to use an IUD birth control device. She also said she wants to have more children (via The New York Times). Now that he has removed himself from her conservatorship, her father is claiming that he did his daughter a favor all those years rather than hurt her.
Jamie Spears files court document defending himself
According to The Daily Mail, Jamie Spears filed a 15-page document with a Los Angeles court explaining that he believes Britney Spears is more ill than people believe.
"If the public knew all the facts of Ms. Spears' personal life, not only her highs but also her lows, all of the addiction and mental health issues that she has struggled with, and all of the challenges of the Conservatorship, they would praise Mr. Spears for the job he has done, not vilify him," the document reads. "But the public does not know all the facts, and they have no right to know, so there will be no public redemption for Mr. Spears."
The court filing also claims that Jamie was not the person who controlled Spears' medical decisions, and that was left up to former co-conservator Jodi Montgomery. The only role Jamie said he had in his daughter's medical treatments was paying out the approximately $10,000 it cost each month. The document also states that the medical treatment she received was to stop Spears from committing acts of self-harm.
"There is no doubt that the Conservatorship saved Ms. Spears from disaster, supported her when she needed it the most, protected her and her reputation from harm, and facilitated the restoration of her career," the document states.