Britney Spears’ Ex Kevin Federline’s Lawyer Defends Pop Star’s Conservatorship

Kevin Federline, Britney Spears‘ ex-husband and the father of her two sons, has not commented on the controversy surrounding the singer’s conservatorship, but his family attorney, Mark Vincent Kaplan, said the conservatorship does have some protections for Spears. The “Womanizer” singer has been under a conservatorship overseen by her father, Jamie Spears, for over a decade. On Thursday, a judge overruled Jamie’s objection to adding Bessemer Trust as a co-conservator. However, the judge did not remove Jamie completely, as Spears has requested through her attorney in the past.

In an interview with FOX Television Stations, Kaplan said there are “many layers of protection” for Spears as the conservatee and he believes people should not be “worried that in some way it’s being abused for persons who have control with a conflict of interest.” Although members of the #FreeBritney movement believe she is being controlled by her father, Kaplan said this was not a “valid” concern, but later clarified, “It’s a concern, but I don’t think it’s one founded in actuality.”

Kaplan refused to give Federline’s stance on the debate over who should remain Spears’ conservator. The rapper, who was married to Spears from 2004 to 2007, “expresses no opinion in that regard and has no desire to get involved on that side,” Kaplan told FOX. Federline is only concerned about the conservatorship’s impact on their sons, Sean, 15, and Jayden, 14. The children are “doing very well,” Kaplan said. Under the current custody agreement, the children spend 70% of their time with Federline and the remaining 30% of their time with Spears.

Interest in Spears’ conservatorship is at an all-time high thanks to the New York Times‘ Framing Britney Spears documentary, which aired on FX and is available to stream on Hulu. The first hearing on the conservatorship was a narrow victory for Spears and her attorney, Samuel Ingham III. Los Angeles Superior Court Judge Brenda Perry dismissed Jamie’s objection to the November decision to add Bressemer Trust as a co-conservator. However, Jamie was not completely removed from the conservatorship. During the hearing, Jamie’s attorney, Vivian Lee Thoreen, argued that Spears “wanted her father to be the sole conservator of her estate” during the early days of the conservatorship. During the dramatic hearing in November, Ingham said Spears was afraid of her father and refused to perform while he was co-conservator.

Spears has not spoken about the situation herself, but she continues to share messages on social media. On Tuesday, she posed a performance of “Toxic” from three years ago, adding an inspirational statement. “I love simply enjoying the basics of everyday life !!!! Each person has their story and their take on other people’s stories !!!! We all have so many different bright beautiful lives,” she wrote. “Remember, no matter what we think we know about a person’s life it is nothing compared to the actual person living behind the lens.”