While the activists of the #FreeBritney movement want their favorite pop icon to have her rights restored yesterday, the wheels of justice tend to turn very slowly.
And while there’s reason to be hopeful that Britney will eventually be granted freedom, there are bound to be some setbacks along the way.
This week found the pop icon being rebuffed by the court following a bold effort to reclaim her independence.
Had it paid off, the move would’ve been Britney’s biggest victory thus far.
But unfortunately, it seems that she and her legal team will be headed back to the drawing board.
According to TMZ, Britney requested that her father be immediately removed as the head of her conservatorship.
In this latest filing, her lawyers argued that if the judge were unable to grant this request, he must at least move up the next hearing — currently scheduled for September — as the current arrangement is causing Britney irreparable harm.
Unfortunately, they were denied on both counts, and it now seems that Jamie Spears will remain in charge at least until next month.
“Mr. Spears’s removal as conservator is critical to [Britney’s] emotional health and well-being and in the best interests of the conservatee,” the filing from Britney’s lawyers reads.
“Every day that passes is another day of avoidable harm and prejudice to Ms. Spears and the Estate.”
In their effort to convince the judge of the need for urgent action, the legal team included a written statement from Britney’s mother, Lynn Spears.
“It is clear to me that James P. Spears is incapable of putting my daughter’s interests ahead of his own on both a professional and a personal level,” Lynn wrote.
Despite the setback, this marks a major step forward in Britney’s battle, as her family had previously maintained a united front against her.
As for why the motion was denied, the reasons for the judge’s decision are not completely clear, but it seems to be the result of insufficient evidence from Britney’s team.
In order to force such immediate action, the attorneys would need to present compelling evidence that Jamie is doing daily harm to his daughter.
The lawyers argued that Jamie’s continued presence is taking a heavy emotional toll on Britney, but it seems the judge was unconvinced.
Fortunately, all hope for immediate action is not lost.
Britney has finally been permitted to choose her own lawyer, and it seems that former prosecutor Mat Rosengart is planning to take a much more aggressive approach than her previous counsel.
He will be allowed to re-file his motion with new evidence that Jamie is causing Britney daily harm, and legal experts expect Rosengart to do exactly that.
Even if the motion is once again denied, the persistence sends a strong message to Jamie Spears, who is likely beginning to realize that he’s in the fight for his life.
The first step, of course, is getting Britney out from under her father’s control.
Hopefully, that will happen quickly, and Rosengart can shift his attention toward decimating Jamie’s bank account with a series of devastating lawsuits.