A New Petition Urges LA Lawyers To Request Britney Spears’ Conservatorship Be Terminated

This weekend, The New York Times unveiled their documentary about Britney Spears, which traces the pop star’s journey through the ups and downs of fame, and particularly highlights the legal situation she’s currently in when it comes to her conservatorship. The #FreeBritney movement started by fans over the last couple of years has sought to draw attention to the inconsistencies in the arrangement, particularly regarding Britney’s father, Jamie Spears.

Now that the documentary is available for viewing, musicians are reacting to the vitriol and misogyny Britney endured while in the public eye. Legal experts, on the other hand, who are potentially seeing the details of her case for the first time are even more furious at her current situation. Attorney Lisa MacCarley, who is an expert in conservatorships and probate court, and has been advocating for the #FreeBritney movement and other unjust conservatorships for years now, has urged fellow lawyers to take action in signing a petition calling for Britney’s conservatorship to be terminated.

The letter has been circulating on social media via screenshots, Uproxx confirmed the veracity with MacCarley’s office.

“On Friday night, the NYTimes premiered a documentary called “Framing Britney Spears.” Far from being a lightweight exploration of Ms. Spears’ superlative career and tragic personal life, the program gave a subtle but powerful glimpse into the unconstitutional manner in which Ms. Spears’ conservatorship originally devolved. Ms. Thoreen’s statement that Conservatee’s have “sacred rights” is ironic to the point of absurd. It is irrefutable that an order appointing Sam Ingham was prepared by James Spears’ attorneys and signed on February 1, 2008 by Judge Reva Goetz, who was then commissioner. It is part of the case summary. In other words, one of the “sacred rights” that the California Constitution mentions is the right to Due Process, and the California Probate Code specifies that a person facing conservatorship has the absolute right to be represented by counsel chosen by her, NOT the person seeking to impose a conservatorship.

On February 4, 2008, Mr. Streisand shows up and attempts to represent Ms. Spears, as was confirmed in his interview. What does Judge Goetz do? She replies upon a report by a doctor selected by James Spears’ attorneys AND Mr. Ingham to determine that Ms. Spears “does not have the capacity” to retain Mr. Streisand. The ‘legal team’ for James Spears, including Mr. Ingham, then crafted an order that Ms. Spears was NOT to be given any of the pleadings except for the order appointing Mr. Ingham as her counsel. Ms. Spears was not allowed to see any other attorney, except by approval of her father, per the court orders that I have obtained from the #FreeBritney activists. Was she ever even served with a Citation? Back in 2008, the citation had a statement, front and center, that the person facing conservatorship has the right to retain counsel of her own choice. But not Britney Jean Spears, apparently.

These are facts. I have documents that affirm this transpired: the minute order and the attorney order signed by Mr. Ingham. The oath that we each take upon embarking on our careers as attorneys contains a solemn promise to uphold the Constitution of the United States and California. In all seriousness, what is the point of a “court appointed attorney” if not to protect his client from having her constitutional rights taken away from her? Please forward this email and contact the Los Angeles County probate department, especially the probate staff, and request that Judge Penny terminate the conservatorship, or at least replace the court-appointed attorney with someone who can file a Writ of Habeas Corpus, which is what should have done 13 years ago. We would be complicit in the remarkable violation of Ms. Spears’ constitutional rights if we watch and do nothing. More scrutiny and investigation is coming. It is 2021 and “justice is back in vogue.”

Another letter that MacCarley sent to the California Attorney General’s office back in September of 2020 has also made its way online, and MacCarley also confirmed the veracity of this letter and countless others that the office has ignored. “The #FreeBritney movement is demanding transparency and a legitimate audit from an outside agency,” MacCarley wrote. “I beseech you, a the Attorney General for the State of California, to please AUDIT this file for compliance with the law of the State of California.”

According to MacCarley, she never heard any response from Becerra’s office. Maybe that will change now that Framing Britney Spears is putting more attention than ever on the case.