New details about Britney Spears' conservatorship are exposed in Netflix film, Britney vs Spears

Los Angeles, California – The latest documentary on Britney Spears, titled Britney vs Spears, unveiled alarming new details about her conservatorship and the numerous attempts made by those close to her to end it.

Britney Spears on the night she announced her second Las Vegas residency, Domination, in 2019, which she called off altogether months later.
Britney Spears on the night she announced her second Las Vegas residency, Domination, in 2019, which she called off altogether months later.  © Collage: IMAGO/Starface

Slowly, but surely, the truth about Spears' 13-year conservatorship continues to come out. This time, it was thanks to a new Netflix documentary, Britney vs Spears, that's been in the works over the last two-and-a-half years.

Filmmaker Erin Lee Car and Rolling Stone journalist Jenny Eliscu gathered intel from various sources, including several doctors and legal experts cited on numerous legal documents over the last 13 years, as well as ex-boyfriends and others who were once in Spears' immediate circle.

Some of the most damning evidence revealed in the documentary came from an anonymous source who provided Carr with hundreds of confidential documents and emails from those involved in Spears' conservatorship.

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The documentary itself highlighted the numerous attempts made by Spears and those who were once close to the 39-year-old to right the wrongs of the conservatorship.

According to the film, two of Spears' ex-boyfriends, Sam Lutfi and Adnan Ghalib – who claim they had been pushed out of Spears' life by her father and conservator, Jamie Spears – went to great lengths to help the pop star obtain the legal counsel of her choice in 2009.

Since they were essentially banned from making any form of contact with Spears herself, the two men called in Eliscu to help get a document to the singer in an effort to petition the court to allow Spears to hire a lawyer of her choice.

According to Eliscu, the two men had asked her to show the document to Spears during an upcoming interview she had scheduled with the star for Rolling Stone, which Spears ended up signing.

However, once the document was filed in court, the judge almost immediately dismissed its legitimacy, citing that she had a medical report that said Spears lacked the mental capacity to select her own legal counsel, while claiming the signature on the document wasn't actually Spears'.

Britney Spears attends the 29th annual GLAAD Media Awards in Beverly Hills, California on April 12, 2018.
Britney Spears attends the 29th annual GLAAD Media Awards in Beverly Hills, California on April 12, 2018.  © Imago/UPI Photo

The issue with the Overprotected singer's inability to select her own lawyer stems from the fact that her main conservator, Mr. Spears, was the one who paid her court-appointed attorney, Sam Ingham.

In response to Lutfi and Ghalib's attempt to remove Ingham as Spears' lawyer, the attorney said that Spears was happy with him as her lawyer, that she didn't want him removed, and went along with the claim that the singer never actually signed the document.

In the film, Carr and Eliscu explored the topic further, citing that Ingham had financial reasons to not put up a strong fight in Spears' defense to end the conservatorship since he was banking off its mere existence.

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According to the film, Ingham was making millions per year as Spears' court-appointed attorney, though the New Yorker reported he makes $520,000 a year in July.

The documentary also revealed just how much her father made off of her from 2013-2018. Throughout those five years, Mr. Spears made $2.1 million from her tour revenues, and had a $16,000-per-month salary, while only allotting an $8,000-per-month allowance for Spears herself.

The documentary included a familiar face to fans of Spears throughout the ages in Felicia Culotta, a former assistant to Spears and longtime friend.

Though Culotta hasn't spoken with Spears in some time, it's apparent that she still cares for her and has her best interest at heart – something that is seldom said about those managing her every move through the conservatorship.

The future of the conservatorship

Fans show their support of singer Britney Spears outside a courthouse in Los Angeles, California on Wednesday, June 23, 2021.
Fans show their support of singer Britney Spears outside a courthouse in Los Angeles, California on Wednesday, June 23, 2021.  © Imago/UPI Photo

Given Culotta's concern for Spears, it makes sense why Mr. Spears and others involved might push her away in an attempt to gain more control over the global superstar.

Culotta described him as someone many found intimidating, while adding that he had quite the temper when things didn't go his way.

It wasn't until 2019 that the public became increasingly concerned over the conservatorship Spears was under. Three months after announcing her second Las Vegas residency, Spears posted a video on Instagram announcing she was cancelling it, citing family health issues.

Shortly after the announcement, Spears was placed in a mental health facility against her will and allegedly given medication she didn't want to take. This only elevated the public's interest in her conservatorship and overall wellbeing.

Currently, Spears is in the midst of a legal battle to end her conservatorship after being granted the ability to hire an attorney of her choice in Matthew Rosengart on July 14, two weeks after speaking out against the conservatorship in a public court hearing on June 23.

On September 7, Mr. Spears filed a petition to end the conservatorship, while repeating he has only ever wanted what's best for his daughter.

The next hearing regarding the conservatorship is set for Wednesday in Los Angeles.

Cover photo: Collage: IMAGO/Starface

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