Britney Spears is set to address a US court during a highly anticipated hearing about the management of her life and career.
The pop superstar’s personal affairs and finances have been overseen by a court-ordered conservatorship – a legal arrangement usually reserved for the elderly or infirm – since 2008.
Spears was deemed unable to look after herself following a series of public breakdowns captured by paparazzi cameras.
Her father, 68-year-old Jamie, had controlled both aspects of his daughter’s conservatorship until September 2019, when he stepped down from overseeing her personal affairs due to health reasons.
Spears has since tried to oust him from his role running her multimillion dollar estate, a position he shares with wealth management firm Bessemer Trust.
In a headline-making move, she is set to directly address a judge in Los Angeles on Wednesday and is expected to discuss her father’s role.
Spears has spoken in court previously, most recently in May 2019, but the judge cleared the room for that hearing. It is unclear if Spears’s comments on Wednesday will be made in open court.
In April, her lawyer, Samuel D Ingham, revealed his client wanted to speak again.
The announcement was welcomed by the fans who gather in downtown Los Angeles for each hearing.
Spears’s supporters launched the #FreeBritney movement, arguing she was capable of looking after herself. Members of the group often claim to have spotted secret messages in the singer’s social media posts.
Jamie has dismissed the movement as being filled with conspiracy theorists.
Spears’s expected court appearance comes after months of escalation in the conservatorship case.
In November, Mr Ingham told the court Spears was “afraid” of Jamie and would not perform again while he remained conservator. She has not performed live since October, 2018.
Her life and career attracted renewed attention earlier this year following the release of the headline-making documentary Framing Britney Spears.
