Britney Spears Reportedly Called 911 to Report Conservatorship Abuse Before Testimony

07/04/2021 03:42 pm EDT

On the eve of June 23, the day Britney Spears delivered her dramatic testimony in her conservatorship battle, the pop star reportedly called 911 to report conservatorship abuse. The news surfaced in a New Yorker report on Spears' conservatorship, published Saturday. Although Spears pleaded to be removed from the conservatorship, the judge in the case declined to remove her father, Jamie Spears, as co-conservator. Bessemer Trust, the financial group that previously served as co-conservator, pulled out of the agreement on Friday, leaving Jamie as Spears' sole conservator.

A person close to Spears and Ventura County, California law enforcement told the New Yorker that Spears called 911 on June 22 to "report herself as a victim of conservatorship abuse." Emergency calls are usually avaialble to the public in California, but Ventura County sealed Spears' call, citing an ongoing investigation. The call led to members of Spears' team texting each other "frantically," the New Yorker reports.

At the beginning of the hearing, an attorney for the conservatorship asked the judge to clear the courtroom and seal Spears' testimony. Spears argued that the hearing should be open so people could "listen and hear what I have to say." Spears then delivered her prepared testimony, speaking so fast at some points that the judge asked her to slow down.

In her testimony, Spears made shared several shocking allegations. She said she was not OK and falsely presented a happy version of herself to the world. "I thought, just maybe if I said that enough, maybe I might become happy because I've been in denial. I've been in shock. I am traumatized," she said. "You know, fake it till you make it... But now I'm telling you the truth, OK. I'm not happy. I can't sleep. I'm so angry, it's insane and I'm depressed. I cry every day."

Spears also claimed her father should be "in jail" and the conservatorship had control over her reproductive rights. "I want to be able to get married and have a baby," she said, adding that she is "not able to get married or have a baby." She said her IUD cannot be removed without permission from the conservatorship.

"I want changes and I want changes going forward. I deserve changes. I was told I have to sit down and be evaluated," Spears told the court. "I don't think I owe anyone, to be evaluated. I've done more than enough. I don't feel like I should even be in the room with anyone to offend me by trying to question my capacity of intelligence."

Spears has been under the conservatorship, which oversees her career and finances, since 2008. While many of the revelations from Spears' testimony was shocking to outside observes, insiders told the New Yorker they were familiar with the limitations Spears described. The judge in the case denied Spears' request to remove Jamie as her conservator, but the decision did not take into account the June 23 testimony. Spears has not formally requested an end to the conservatorship yet. Meanwhile, Bessemer Trust chose to pull out of the agreement to serve as Spears' co-conservator, reportedly because it no longer wants to be involved with the controversial arrangement.

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