What Is Conservatorship? Everything To Know About Britney Spears' Battle

Britney Spears on Wednesday broke her silence regarding her court-ordered conservatorship in a Los Angeles court hearing via video conference. She urged the judge to end the conservatorship that has been in place for almost 13 years, controlling her life and money.

Conservatorship is an arrangement in the U.S. wherein single or multiple guardians are given full control over a person’s finances should that person be proven mentally or physically incapable of managing their own estate. A court-appointed conservator could also manage a person’s daily life, including living arrangements and health decisions, according to the Superior Court of California.

Spears, 39, has been placed in conservatorship since February 2008, when paparazzi captured her attacking a car with an umbrella and after the incident, she shaved her head.

At the time, Jamie Spears, her father, asked the Los Angeles court to grant him an emergency conservatorship, arguing that his daughter was not capable of taking care of herself.

During her court appearance, Spears requested to address Judge Brenda Penny whom she asked to end the conservatorship arrangement, citing that the lack of privacy because of the constant paparazzi was making her feel “depressed.”

“I just got a new phone, and I have a lot to say, so bear with me,” she began, according to a transcript of her statement from Variety. “I’ve lied and told the whole world 'I’m OK and I’m happy.' It’s a lie. I thought I just maybe if I said that enough. Because I’ve been in denial. I’ve been in shock. I am traumatized. You know, fake it till you make it. But now I’m telling you the truth, OK? I’m not happy. I can’t sleep. I’m so angry it’s insane. And I’m depressed. I cry every day.”

During her 20-minute statement, Spears also noted that she had been forced to perform on stage, take medication against her will, and was not allowed to visit the doctor’s office to remove her IUD, which prevents her from becoming pregnant.

“I have a (IUD) inside of myself right now so I don’t get pregnant. I wanted to take the (IUD) out so I could start trying to have another baby. But this so-called team won’t let me go to the doctor to take it out because they don’t want me to have children – any more children,” she said, according to CNN.

The report said that Spears also criticized how her family, including her father, handled her conservatorship. "My family didn't do a God damn thing... Anything that happened to me had to be approved by my dad," she said.

In the case of Spears, her father oversees her $60 million fortune. The pop icon also needs her father to sign off on any major decision, which includes business, health, voting, and marriage.

Asking for the conservatorship to end, the singer said: "... This conservatorship is doing me way more harm than good. I deserve to have a life.” She is set to appear on another court hearing over her conservatorship on July 14.