Britney Spears' Father Removed from Conservatorship
2021-10-01
LRC
TXT
大字
小字
滚动
全页
1Pop music star Britney Spears has successfully asked a California court to remove her father from the conservatorship that controls her life and money.
2The court named Spears' father as her conservator in 2008.
3The legal action came after the singer faced mental health struggles in public and lost custody of her children.
4In California, when a person faces mental struggles, a court can give someone the power to make decisions over money and life choices for them.
5In California, this situation is called a conservatorship.
6It is also called a guardianship in other states.
7A conservator is the person in charge of legal actions for someone else.
8The conservator could be a family member, a close friend or a court-appointed professional.
9Spears' father, James, was appointed as her conservator.
10In that position, he has watched over the singer's $50 million and her life.
11In 2007 and 2008, shortly after Spears became a mother, she began to have very public mental struggles.
12Paparazzi - photographers who take pictures of famous people -- started following Spears everywhere.
13She seemed unable to deal with it.
14She attacked one cameraman's car with an umbrella.
15She cut her hair off.
16She lost the right to raise her children.
17When Spears refused to turn over her children after a visit, she was hospitalized.
18Within days, the conservatorship was put in place.
19For nearly 13 years, few details of the conservatorship were made public.
20But Spears began seeking changes in the past year and asked for her father's removal.
21Fans have supported the singer with the #FreeBritney movement.
22The singer said in June that, under the conservatorship, she was forced to take drugs.
23She said she was not permitted to remove a birth control device.
24And she was forced to perform when she did not want to.
25The New York Times reported that a listening device was placed in the singer's bedroom.
26Spears said this week that she wanted to get married and have another child.
27But under the conservatorship, she has been denied the chance to do either.
28On Wednesday, a California judge agreed with Spears' request that her father should give up his role as conservator.
29The decision came several months after Spears asked for her father's removal in court hearings.
30The judge, Brenda Penny, called the conservatorship a "toxic environment which requires the suspension of James Spears."
31A lawyer for James Spears said, "Everything Mr. Spears has done for Miss Spears has been in her best interest."
32About 100 Britney Spears supporters gathered outside the courthouse, saying, "Hey, hey, ho, ho, the conservatorship has got to go!"
33Some sang her well-known songs "Toxic" and "Baby One More Time."
34Others described abusive conservatorships that had affected their own families.
35Lorin Sisco of Hawaii flew to Los Angeles for the hearing.
36She told The Associated Press, "I am so excited for what she has to do with the rest of her life."
37Since there were no objections to ending the conservatorship, Judge Penny is likely to end it at the next hearing.
38That is set to take place on November 12.
39I'm Ashley Thompson.
1Pop music star Britney Spears has successfully asked a California court to remove her father from the conservatorship that controls her life and money. 2The court named Spears' father as her conservator in 2008. The legal action came after the singer faced mental health struggles in public and lost custody of her children. 3What is a conservatorship? 4In California, when a person faces mental struggles, a court can give someone the power to make decisions over money and life choices for them. In California, this situation is called a conservatorship. It is also called a guardianship in other states. 5A conservator is the person in charge of legal actions for someone else. The conservator could be a family member, a close friend or a court-appointed professional. 6Spears' father, James, was appointed as her conservator. In that position, he has watched over the singer's $50 million and her life. 7Why was it established in Spears' case? 8In 2007 and 2008, shortly after Spears became a mother, she began to have very public mental struggles. Paparazzi - photographers who take pictures of famous people -- started following Spears everywhere. She seemed unable to deal with it. 9She attacked one cameraman's car with an umbrella. She cut her hair off. She lost the right to raise her children. When Spears refused to turn over her children after a visit, she was hospitalized. Within days, the conservatorship was put in place. 10For nearly 13 years, few details of the conservatorship were made public. But Spears began seeking changes in the past year and asked for her father's removal. Fans have supported the singer with the #FreeBritney movement. 11The singer said in June that, under the conservatorship, she was forced to take drugs. She said she was not permitted to remove a birth control device. And she was forced to perform when she did not want to. The New York Times reported that a listening device was placed in the singer's bedroom. 12Spears said this week that she wanted to get married and have another child. But under the conservatorship, she has been denied the chance to do either. 13What happened this week? 14On Wednesday, a California judge agreed with Spears' request that her father should give up his role as conservator. The decision came several months after Spears asked for her father's removal in court hearings. 15The judge, Brenda Penny, called the conservatorship a "toxic environment which requires the suspension of James Spears." 16A lawyer for James Spears said, "Everything Mr. Spears has done for Miss Spears has been in her best interest." 17#FreeBritney 18About 100 Britney Spears supporters gathered outside the courthouse, saying, "Hey, hey, ho, ho, the conservatorship has got to go!" 19Some sang her well-known songs "Toxic" and "Baby One More Time." Others described abusive conservatorships that had affected their own families. Lorin Sisco of Hawaii flew to Los Angeles for the hearing. She told The Associated Press, "I am so excited for what she has to do with the rest of her life." 20Since there were no objections to ending the conservatorship, Judge Penny is likely to end it at the next hearing. That is set to take place on November 12. 21I'm Ashley Thompson. 22Hai Do adapted this story for Learning English from reporting by The Associated Press. Ashley Thompson was the editor. 23_____________________________________________________________ 24Words in This Story 25conservatorship - n. a legal action in which a judge appoints someone to care for someone who cannot care for himself or herself 26custody - n. the legal right to take care of a child 27paparazzi - n. photographers who follow famous people to take their pictures and sell them to publications 28umbrella - n. a device used for protection from the sun or rain 29toxic - adj. poisonous or unpleasant