'Ms. Montgomery looks forward to supporting Britney through that process,' a rep for the conservator shared in a statement to ET.
Britney Spears' temporary conservator of her person, Jodi Montgomery, is speaking out following the latest hearing for the singer's ongoing conservatorship battle.
A rep for Montgomery released a statement from the conservator's attorney to ET on Wednesday, one week after Spears addressed the Los Angeles court directly and requested to terminate the legal conservatorship she's been under for 13 years. Montgomery serves as temporary conservator of her person, while Spears' father, Jamie Spears, is co-conservator of her estate with Bessemer Trust Company.
"The conservatorship of the person for Britney Spears includes multiple layers of protection for Britney, including the Court, the court investigator which regularly updates the Court, her medical team, and my client, Jodi Montgomery," the statement from Montgomery's attorney, Lauriann Wright of Wright Kim Douglas, ALC, reads. "In fact, conservatorships in California are subject to the strictest laws in the nation to protect against any potential abuses, including a licensing requirement for all professional fiduciaries. Ms. Montgomery is a licensed private professional fiduciary who, unlike family members who serve as conservators, is required to follow a Code of Ethics which can be found here."
"I can state unequivocally that Jodi Montgomery has been a tireless advocate for Britney and for her well-being. While she does not control Britney's financial assets, she is responsible for her personal care, and if Britney wants any issue brought up to the Court, Ms. Montgomery is and has always been ready, willing, and able to do so," the statement continues. "From the very beginning of her appointment in September 2019, Ms. Montgomery and the medical team that she assembled have had one primary goal -- to assist and encourage Britney in her path to no longer needing a conservatorship of the person."
Spears didn't hold back during her testimony last week, giving an impassioned speech about all the frustrations she has regarding the terms of her ongoing conservatorship battle. She at one point said that she wants to get married and have more children, but alleged the conservatorship is preventing her from making those dreams a reality.
"As to Britney's right to marry, that is unaffected by the conservatorship under Probate Code §1900. As to family planning, that is also unaffected by the conservatorship," Montgomery's attorney claims in the new statement. "If Britney needs any assistance with either, Ms. Montgomery has and will be there to provide any assistance needed to Britney. Britney’s choice to marry and to start a family have never been impacted by the conservatorship while Ms. Montgomery has been conservator of the person."
The statement goes on to claim that Montgomery's tenure as conservator of the person, which began in September 2019, has been "complicated by the COVID-19 pandemic."
"Britney lives in the Southern California area, who has suffered some of the highest COVID rates in the country. California's state of emergency due to the pandemic started on March 4, 2020, with many restrictions not being lifted in the Los Angeles area until just weeks ago," the statement reads. "Britney is someone who was at an increased risk of severe illness due to preexisting conditions. A well-renowned epidemiologist was brought onto the medical team and that doctor's advice was followed to ensure Britney's safety from exposure to the virus at all times."
"While it is Ms. Montgomery's professional duty to be Britney's protector and advocate, honoring her wishes and seeing to her best interests while Britney is under conservatorship, it is her sincere personal wish that Britney continues to make meaningful progress in her well-being so that her conservatorship of the person can be terminated," the statement continues. "Ms. Montgomery looks forward to presenting a comprehensive Care Plan to the Court setting forth a path for termination of the conservatorship for Britney, and Ms. Montgomery looks forward to supporting Britney through that process."
Read the rest of the statement below:
Since being appointed in September 2019, Ms. Montgomery has tirelessly acted in Britney’s best interests with the approval of her doctors and the oversight of the Court. All of Ms. Montgomery’s fees and costs are approved by the Court, as required by law, after petitions setting forth her fees and costs in detail are filed with the Court in the public record. To protect Britney’s medical privacy, portions of the time records contained in those petitions do have to be sealed.
Because Ms. Montgomery does not have any power or authority over the conservatorship of the estate, every expenditure made by Ms. Montgomery for Britney has had to be first approved by Jamie Spears as the conservator of the estate. Some expenses are pre-approved, but if new services or an increase in existing services is sought, Mr. Spears has to approve that expenditure. Practically speaking, since everything costs money, no expenditures can happen without going through Mr. Spears and Mr. Spears approving them. Ms. Montgomery has advocated on Britney’s behalf for any expenditures that Britney has requested as well as for expenditures recommended by Britney’s medical team. Not every requested expenditure has been approved. Jamie Spears, as conservator of the estate, has a duty to make decisions in the best interests of the estate, and sometimes that has meant requested expenditures have been denied or limited.
Addressing the court over the phone last week, Spears requested to end the years-long conservatorship without having to be evaluated, stating, "I would like to move progressively forward. I want to have the real deal. I want to be able to get married and have a baby."
"I was told right now, in the conservatorship, I'm not able to get married or have a baby. I have an IUD [intrauterine device] inside of myself right now so I don't get pregnant," she claimed. "I wanted to take the IUD out, so I can start trying to have a baby. But this so-called team won't let me go to the doctor to take it out, because they don't want me to have children, any more children."
"So, basically, this conservatorship is doing me way more harm than good. I deserve to have a life. I worked my whole life, and I deserve to have a two, three-year break and just do what I want to do," she added. "I wish I could stay with you on the phone forever, because when I get off the phone with you, all of a sudden all I hear are no's. 'No, no, no.'"
Spears continued on, telling the court, "I feel ganged up on, I feel bullied, and I feel left out and alone."
"I'm so angry I can't sleep, and I am depressed," she admitted. "I want to be heard ... I want changes and I want changes going forward. I deserve changes."
"I just want my life back. It's been 13 years and it's enough. It's enough and it makes no sense at all ... I'm done," she said, accusing her father and those involved in her conservatorship of "criminal" behavior. "I want to sue my family, to be totally honest with you."
After hearing Spears' accusations, her father's lawyer told the court, "He is sorry to see his daughter suffering and in so much pain."
Read Britney Spears' full testimony here, and watch the video below for more on the conservatorship case.
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