News Of Jamie Spears Stepping Down Isn't Quite The #BritneyFree We Think It Is

Updated September 8, 2021

After flying under the radar of public consciousness for over a decade, the past year has seen the conservatorship arrangement that Britney Spears now lives under attract widespread scrutiny thanks in no small part to the #FreeBritney movement.

And while Spears' illuminating court statements in June revealed how restrictive and personally disheartening this conservatorship has been for her, Spears and her supporters have particularly criticized her father and conservator Jamie Spears for his role in the matter.

In the midst of this backlash and efforts by Spears' newly selected lawyer to bring her conservatorship to an end, Mr. Spears appeared to make a statement through his lawyer that he's preparing to step down as conservator.

But that doesn't mean we should hold our breath waiting for that to happen.

On August 12, Jamie Spears' attorney Vivian Lee Thoreen filed new court documents indicating that he was willing to step down as conservator.

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As People reported, this came two weeks after his daughter filed a motion to remove him from this role.

In this new filing, Thoreen stated that he "intends to work with the Court and his daughter's new attorney to prepare for an orderly transition to a new conservator."

However, nothing about this statement explicitly said that such a result was imminent, instead stating that he would step down "when the time is right."

Thoreen's filing also indicated the elder Spears' continued reluctance to step down, saying, "There are, in fact, no actual grounds for suspending or removing Mr. Spears as the Conservator of the Estate and it is highly debatable whether a change in conservator at this time would be in Ms. Spears' best interests."

The filing went on to argue that contrary to allegations that Spears' father sought to control her life for his own personal gain, "Mr. Spears came to his daughter's rescue to protect her."

Finally, Thoreen's filing suggested that he had already been working out a transition to a new conservator with Spears' previous court-appointed attorney Sam Ingham.

Given that Spears didn't see any changes to her conservatorship circumstances while that was allegedly underway, it remains unclear when and if the changes that could impact her quality of life will actually take place.

Nonetheless, her lawyer Mathew Rosengart expressed optimism in this development, saying, "This is a major victory for Britney Spears and another step toward justice."

He also indicated that an investigation into Mr. Spears' conduct while serving as conservator is underway and that he's looking forward to taking his deposition.

And as for the statements in Thoreen's filing that weren't directly related to the possibility of Mr. Spears stepping down, Rosengart said, "In the interim, rather than making false accusations and taking cheap shots at his own daughter, Mr. Spears should remain silent and step aside immediately."

h/t: People

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