Britney Spears Accuses Dad Jamie of Conservatorship Abuse in Emotional Plea to Judge

Britney Spears’ conservatorship battle is continuing. Just three weeks after she delivered emotional testimony in the case, Spears returned to court, via phone, on Wednesday for another court hearing, telling Judge Brenda Penny that she would like to press formal charges against her father Jamie Spears for abusing his power as her conservator. Jamie has been Spears’ conservator for the past 13 years.

Speaking via phone, an emotional Spears told the judge that she “would like to charge my father with conservatorship abuse. I want to press charges against my father today,” according to CNN. Spears added that she would like “an investigation into my dad.” NBC News reported that Spears said she has been “extremely scared” of her father and that “this conservatorship has allowed my dad to ruin my life.” Detailing the abuse, Spears told the court that every part of her life has been controlled, including her diet. She also said she worked 70 hours a week and claimed “their goal was to make me feel crazy, and I’m not.” At one point, Spears said she felt that those in the conservatorship “were trying to kill me…if this is not abuse, I don’t know what is.” She called her conservatorship “f–ing cruelty.”

Although Jamie was not removed as a conservator during the hearing, as there was no motion in place to do so, Spears did score a legal victory. Approving attorney Sam Ingham’s resignation, the judge also approved Spears’ request to hire her own attorney for the case and granted Spears permission to hire Mathew Rosengart, a former federal prosecutor whose firm has represented the likes of Steven Spielberg, Sean Penn, Ben Affleck, and Eddie Vedder. According to Fox News, Rosengart told the court, “I’m not representing her alone,” explaining that he will be assisted by “a team of attorneys at my firm” who “all have substantial probate experience.” Rosengart also confirmed plans to formally file a motion to remove Jamie as conservator and end the conservatorship for good. He called on Jamie to remove himself from his daughter’s case, stating, “if he loves his daughter, it is time to step aside — to move forward.”

Following the court hearing, Spears took to Instagram with a post using the “Free Britney” hashtag, which has been widely used amid her conservatorship battle. The post included a video of the singer horseback riding and doing cartwheels, with Spears saying that she was celebrating “real representation today.” In the caption, she wrote, “I feel GRATITUDE and BLESSED !!!! Thank you to my fans who are supporting me. You have no idea what it means to me be supported by such awesome fans !!!! God bless you all !!!!!”