Dozens of Britney Spears fans holding signs reading “FREE BRITNEY” and “Brit is Stronger” gathered outside the Stanley Mosk Courthouse in downtown Los Angeles on Friday afternoon in anticipation of a status hearing on the pop star’s contentious conservatorship.
Members of the so-called #FreeBritney movement believe Spears is being unfairly controlled by legal guardianship, which allows her father, Jamie Spears, to manage her assets and many aspects of her personal life.
This is a critical moment in the 11-year span of the singer’s conservatorship. Fans and entertainment outlets speculate that Spears is being taken advantage of through the arrangement. And for the first time, Spears’ mother, Lynne Spears, had requested to be a part of the status hearing as well as her own counsel.
But the hearing was swiftly closed to the public at the request of Britney Spears’ court-appointed advocate, Samuel D. Ingham. In his request, Ingham cited the sensitive nature of what would likely be discussed at the hearing, including Spears’ medical care, her two sons and her trade secrets.
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