Britney Spears criticises family over conservatorship

US pop star Britney Spears has criticised her family over their handling of her conservatorship.

Posting on Instagram, she also praised her new lawyer Mathew S Rosengart, who she said "has helped change my life".

It comes after an LA judge suspended her father Jamie's control of her business affairs, a legal arrangement which had been in place since 2008.

The singer shared a picture online of a woman swimming to help an unconscious woman underwater.

The 39-year-old posted on Tuesday: "If you have a friend that's been in a house that feels really small for four months, no car... no phone ... no door for privacy and they have to work around 10 hours a day seven days a week and give tons of blood weekly with never a day off... I strongly suggest you go pick up your friend and get them the hell outta there!"

She added: "If you're like my family who says things like 'sorry, you're in a conservatorship'... probably thinking you're different so they can [mess] with you!!!

"Thankfully I found an amazing attorney Mathew Rosengart who has helped change my life!!!"

Earlier this week, Rosengart has said he hoped the conservatorship would be fully terminated in November.

Through his own lawyer, Jamie Spears called the ruling "disappointing".

In a statement issued after the court hearing, Mr Spears' lawyer said he loved his daughter "unconditionally" and had "tried to do what is in her best interests".

"These facts make the outcome of yesterday's hearing all the more disappointing, and frankly, a loss for Britney," said lawyer Vivian Thoreen.

"The court was wrong to suspend Mr Spears, put a stranger in his place to manage Britney's estate, and extend the very conservatorship that Britney begged the court to terminate earlier this summer.

"Despite the suspension, Mr Spears will continue to look out for the best interests of his daughter and work in good faith towards a positive resolution of all matters."

Spears's mother Lynne had shared support for her daughter over the past 12 months, while her sister Jamie Lynn had hit back at accusations she had been silent over the matter.

A hearing to discuss terminating the conservatorship is set for 12 November.

Earlier this week, Spears thanked her fans for their years of campaigning to have her released from her conservatorship.

"I have no words because of you guys and your constant resilience in freeing me from my conservatorship," she wrote.

Writing on Twitter, she said: "My life is now in that direction!!!!! I cried last night for two hours cause my fans are the best and I know it.

"I feel your hearts and you feel mine ... that much I know is true!!!!!"

In the court hearing in LA, Judge Brenda Penny formally ended the conservatorship arrangement the star has had with her father for 13 years, which was put in place after the singer was treated for mental health issues.

"The current situation is not tenable," Judge Penny told the court after the petition was made but did not end the conservatorship.

She left in place a separate conservatorship with John Zabel, an accountant chosen by the singer's legal team.

Spears' lawyers requested a new hearing be held in the next 30 to 45 days to decide whether to end the conservatorship altogether, with Mr Rosengart adding: "Britney doesn't believe a mental evaluation is necessary, and I certainly don't."

The #FreeBritney movement began soon after the conservatorship was first put in place but took on a new urgency in 2019 as a group of fans began to seriously question the legitimacy of the legal arrangement.

Fans held noisy demonstrations outside court hearings in the case and the movement was highlighted in the Framing Britney Spears documentary in February.

Her followers expressed much delight following last week's developments, as supporters outside the LA courtroom "celebrated wildly" when the news broke, the Press Association reported.

A rally was held outside the court, while fans also gathered in London's Trafalgar Square.

Earlier this year, Spears made explosive claims that her father had abused his position, claims he and his team have repeatedly denied.

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