Britney Spears Possibly Believes Her Civil Rights Are Being Violated, When She Takes A Break From Going Out To Think About Them
In case you've been under a rock for the past week, there have been court papers filed that say Britney is being held prisoner by the conservators over her estate, her father and a lawyer:
In a document filed Thursday in U.S. District Court in Los Angeles, attorney Jon Eardley writes that Spears has not "received the benefit of a single hearing before the court," and "is being confined by the conservator to the private prison of her own home," in violation of her civil rights.After more than a year of bizarre behavior and two stints in a psychiatric hospital this year, Spears was placed under a conservatorship by a Superior Court commissioner at the beginning of February. Conservatorships are established when a court determines someone cannot take care of themselves or their affairs.
In his federal court filing, Eardley asks "whether an adult child may be subjected by her parents to their complete and total control" and claims her conservators — her father, James Spears, and attorney Andrew Wallet — control what prescription medications she takes.
But unfortunately for Britney, attempts to prove that her rights are being taken from her probably won't hold up in court. You see, having your rights taken away is kinda the point:
"Anyone who's under a conservatorship can argue that they've lost their civil rights," said Peter Tiersma, a law professor who teaches trusts and wills at Loyola Law School. "That's what a conservatorship does, it takes away some of your rights."If the federal court were to take jurisdiction of the Spears case, said Tiersma, "that would mean that anyone under a conservatorship could do this, and that's a loophole you could drive a truck through."
Family law attorney Alexandra Leichter said the existing orders in the case, including Goetz's decision that the pop star cannot retain counsel, will stand until a district court rules on whether it will take the case, which she said is highly unlikely.
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