Why did Britney Spears' father pull 'a 180' on ending her conservatorship?

Why did Britney Spears' father move this week to end her conservatorship after previously defending the arrangement? A new report has some further details.

The pop star's father, Jamie Spears, on Tuesday surprisingly filed a petition to end her conservatorship after he controlled her estate for more than a decade, telling the court she's "entitled to have this court now seriously consider whether this conservatorship is no longer required." She emotionally spoke out in court earlier this year against the conservatorship, which she decried as "abusive."

But TMZ reports that its sources say not to take this "180" by the singer's father "at face value," with one saying they actually "don't believe Jamie really wants the conservatorship to end, and certainly not without a medical evaluation." Indeed, TMZ reports that as of last month, he was still arguing that the conservatorship was necessary. But TMZ suggests his goal may be for the judge to require a mental evaluation for ending the conservatorship, as Jamie reportedly insists such an evaluation would indicate the conservatorship needs to be maintained.

Subscribe to The Week

Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

SUBSCRIBE & SAVE

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters

From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.

From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.

Sign up

"So, he would get what he wants — maintaining the conservatorship — while also ending the lingering attacks targeting him," TMZ writes.

Britney Spears has pushed for ending the conservatorship without needing to undergo an evaluation. Meanwhile, the pop star's attorney, Mathew Rosengart, suggested Jamie was seeking to "avoid accountability and justice, including sitting for a sworn deposition and answering other discovery under oath," by moving to end the conservatorship, per BuzzFeed News. Rosengart promised, though, that an investigation into alleged "financial mismanagement and other issues" with the conservatorship "will continue."

Jamie Spears previously agreed to step down from the conservatorship, though Rosengart later alleged he was demanding $2 million before he did so. Rosengart said this week that in moving to end the conservatorship, however, the pop star's father has "now effectively surrendered."