The intriguing family affair that is Britney Spears' conservatorship is facing another shift. It seems that Britney's 29-year-old sister, Jamie Lynn Spears, is taking steps to gain more control of the pop star's massive fortune.
In 2018, Jamie Lynn was quietly named the trustee of a trust that benefits Britney's children. Documents obtained by The Blast indicated that trust was created in 2004. This shows some responsible thinking on Britney's part. The trust was created before the singer's mental health struggles and the birth of her two children.
Britney is the only beneficiary on the trust. In the event of her death, that money is to go to her sons, 14-year-old Sean Preston Federline and 13-year-old Jayden James Federline. Now it seems Jamie Lynn is looking to add to her involvement in Britney's finances.
Critics are skeptical of the reason for this power grab. Some think that amid the chaos of the conservatorship battle, Jamie Lynn is taking extra steps to protect her nephews. Others think that more selfish motivations are at play. Jamie Lynn is known to have a closer relationship with father Jamie Spears than her older siblings. This leads some to question which side of the battle she's truly on.
Britney Spears' little sister is taking a larger role in her life. Jamie Lynn Spears was named the trustee of the "SJB Revocable Trust." The trust was set up by Britney in 2004 to protect large parts of her fortune.
Documents obtained by The Blast indicate the trust was amended in 2018 to add Jamie Lynn as a trustee. Britney's conservators at that time were attorney Andrew Wallet and her father, Jamie Spears. Both approved of the amendment.
As long as she's alive, Britney is the sole beneficiary of the trust. Specific steps are outlined for what happens to the trust in the event of her death. The ultimate goal is to provide for Britney's two sons, 14-year-old Sean and 13-year-old Jayden.
In a court filing last week, Jamie Lynn asked that all the assets of the SJB Revocable Trust be moved into one or more accounts with Fidelity Financial Management and Brokerage Services with herself as the custodian of those accounts.
"Upon the settlor's death, the entire principal of the Trust, including all accused and undistributed and unrealized income, together with any insurance on the settlor's life or other assets payable to the Trust as a result of settlor's death, shall be promptly distributed by the Trustee to the trustee or co-trustee of the BJS Kids & Family Trust, to be held, administered and distributed in accordance with its terms."
If the filing is accepted, Jamie Lynn would receive the assets to distribute among her nephews, should anything happen to Britney.
"The entire principle of the Trust … shall be promptly distributed by the Trustee to the trustee or co-trustees of the BJS Kids & Family Trust, to be held, administered and distributed in accordance with its terms," the documents state.
Jamie Lynn isn't the only family member looking to increase her involvement. Britney's mother, Lynne Spears, filed a request with the Los Angeles County Courts last month to be included in any "special notice" of "all matters" having to do with Britney's trust. Still, it's unclear how, if at all, this will impact matters of Britney's conservatorship.
Earlier this month, Britney asserted through court documents that she no longer wishes to have her father as her conservator. He's been out of the role for the last year due to health issues, replaced by Jodi Montgomery, a temporary, licensed professional conservator. Britney would like Jodi's appointment to be made permanent.
Jodi's temporary conservatorship over Britney was set to expire on August 22. It has now been extended another six months through February. That said, Britney has not waived her right to seek an end to the conservatorship in the future.
Critics, largely with the Free Britney movement, fear that Jamie Lynn's involvement is a covert power grab that isn't in Britney's best interest. Although many of these fans believe that Britney should have her rights restored to her and the conservatorship eliminated, those who think there is a basis for it to continue generally agree professionals should be the ones who are handling matters.
Recently, there's been an outpouring of support from Britney coming from people closer to her than fans. Her family has tried to write off the Free Britney movement as an out-of-control conspiracy theory. That said, at a recent rally outside her latest conservatorship hearing, her ex-husband and longtime friend Jason Alexander, as well as her former makeup artist Billy B, were both present and speaking out on Britney's behalf.
Britney's case caught the attention of Cher, who knows a thing or two about starting the rise to superstardom at a young age. She's spoken out in support of Britney a few times, with her latest tweet on the matter coming just a few hours ago.
"She Worked Hard, Was The Golden Goose, Made Lots Of , Got Sick, Now She's The CASH COW. Does anyone Who's Making Off Her Being Sick, Want Her Well⁉️" she wrote.
"Someone Who Doesn't Want Anything From Her Should Look Into Her Dr.& Her Meds. ……Is It a Duck⁉️"
The ACLU, which recently spoke out with an offer to help Britney, did a deep dive into how the conservatorship may be infringing on her civil rights.
"People only end up under conservatorships or guardianships if a court identifies them as having disabilities. This includes people with psychiatric disabilities, developmental or intellectual disabilities, age-related disabilities like dementia, and other types of disabilities," Zoe Brennan-Krohn, staff attorney with the ACLU's Disability Rights Project, explains.
"Fighting against the unnecessary and dangerous removal of disabled peoples' civil rights and civil liberties is a core belief of the ACLU's disability rights work. This is not to say that all conservatorships are bad or wrong or unnecessary — conservatorships are complex and individual processes. But the ease with which disabled people can be stripped of their rights, and the extraordinary difficulties they face getting those rights back, is a systemic disability rights issue about which we have serious concerns."
"We don't know if Britney Spears identifies herself as a person with disabilities, or what, if any, diagnoses she has received. But by virtue of being under a conservatorship, we know that the court has determined that she is disabled, and has stripped away her civil rights because of that disability. So it's inherently a civil rights/civil liberties issue," she noted.
"What we don't know is what the info the court had, what Britney has said about what she wants specifically, what other options have been tried, or what her lawyers have said. So while it's possible that this is an example of a thoughtful conservatorship that was implemented as the last resort and is being reviewed carefully, thoroughly, and regularly, that is not the norm for conservatorships, and it appears inconsistent with what we see of Britney publicly.
"Our view is that in general, conservatorships should be viewed with skepticism and used as a last resort. In most cases, it's done routinely and without substantive engagement."
"We don't know all of the risks and benefits at play, so we can't speak to the specifics of her case. But we do know that the conservatorship itself also has risks," Zoe continued.
"The risks in conservatorship can include financial, physical, and emotional abuse. And even when there is no abuse, conservatorships limit a person's ability to advocate for themselves, learn from their decisions and mistakes, and grow and develop.
"There is a risk in being told that your opinions, your likes, and dislikes, don't matter — it makes it harder to stand up to abuse or neglect. So in any conservatorship, including this, we would want to know that the real risks (and benefits) of both conservatorship and its alternatives have been seriously weighed."
