More bad news for the perpetually-troubled Britney Spears this week.
Back in August, Britney lost a legal battle against her father, Jamie Spears, when a judge ruled that the conservatorship that allows Jamie nearly complete control over his daughter’s life should remain in place until February.
Britney’s lawyers appealed the decision, and this week, they were handed yet another crushing defeat.
A judge ruled that the conservatorship will remain in place for the next four months, at which time, it will once again come up for review.
At this point, Britney is left with little recourse from a legal standpoint.
But that doesn’t mean she’s entirely without options.
It was revealed in court this week that Britney is frightened of her father and refuses to perform again until her conservatorship is lifted.
However, her body and her voice remain on the short list of things she still has control over, and it seems she plans to take full advantage of that control by refusing to leave the house or sing.
Explaining the extreme measures in court, Britney’s attorney Sam Ingham, claimed that the singer lives in fear of her domineering father.
"My client has informed me that she is afraid of her father," Ingham told the judge.
"She will not perform again if her father is in charge of her career."
Jamie’s attorney, Vivien Lee Thorensen, has applauded the court’s decision, arguing that it’s crucial for Britney’s safety that Jamie stay on as one of the heads of the pop icon’s conservatorship.
"I don’t believe there is a shred of evidence to support my client’s suspension," she said.
Those who know her best fear that Spears may sink into a deep depression as a result of the decision.
They say Britney has been held captive by the conservatorship, and she’s arrived at the decision that life without freedom is scarcely worth living.
"She feels like he has no respect for her wishes. It’s a sad situation," a source close to the situation tells People magazine.
"Jamie has always had a tendency to shut down Britney’s requests without any discussion."
It seems the breaking point for Britney came last year when her father made "physical" contact with her eldest son during an altercation.
"Since the drama that happened between Preston and Jamie, Britney has not had any contact with her dad," the source says.
Britney spent much of the summer sending coded messages to fans via her Instagram page in hopes of alerting them to the severity of the situation.
Meanwhile, Brit’s mother, Lynne Spears, is seeking a situation that will satisfy both sides.
"Lynne is trying to change things around though and has asked the court to let her be more involved. She is close with Britney and wants what’s best for her," the insider tells People.
"Britney’s situation is very complex, but Lynne agrees there needs to be a change.”
"It has broken Lynne’s heart that things have come to this point," Lynne’s attorney told the court this week.
"Contentiousness is not uncommon in families," she added.
"But this is not a usual family."
For his part, Jamie insists that the outside world simply has no idea what’s really going on within his family.
The world don’t have a clue,” he said. "It’s up to the court of California to decide what’s best for my daughter. It’s no one else’s business."
"I love my daughter," Jamie added.
"I love all my kids. But this is our business. It’s private."
Needless to say, it sounds like this situation is a long way from being resolved.
We’ll continue to bring you updates on this developing story as more information becomes available.