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Mystery Petitioner Seeking End Of Britney Spears’ Conservatorship Reportedly Revealed
With the court hearing looming, official documents have identified an "interested party" seeking to end the conservatorship that sparked the #FreeBritney movement.
The question of precisely who filed a recent petition to end Britney Spears’s conservatorship has been a mystery, but ahead of a June 23 hearing on the issue, the petitioner has been revealed to be a man with no apparent ties to the famous singer.
California resident Stan Wantuch named himself “an interested party” in a petition that aims to free the 39-year-old singer from her handlers, according to Yahoo Entertainment. This year, the topic of Spear’s personal and financial freedom sparked the widely popular #FreeBritney movement, with many in support of terminating Spears’s conservatorship. Wantuch, who has no clear connection to Spears or her representatives, seeks to end the conservatorship of her person only, and not the conservatorship of her estate, which is currently overseen by Spears’s estranged father, Jamie Spears, and Bessemer Trust. As it stands, the conservatorship of her person only is managed by Jodi Montgomery, a professional conservator.
In court documents obtained by Yahoo Entertainment, Stan Wantuch states, “I am. In the interest of justice. Friend. Debtor. Heir.”
In listing why Britney Spears is no longer in need of a conservator, Wantuch claims: “It is far past time for Ms. Spears to begin her life. Time is running out. For us all. There is no danger to Ms. Spears or the public. It is in the interest of Justice.”
Wantuch’s filing was previously delayed when he couldn't come up with the $90 filing fee.
Until now, the petitioner’s identity hadn’t been known, not even by Spears’s lawyers. It is possible that Wantuch is merely a fan of the celebrity.
“It will be interesting to see how far this petition makes it,” said family attorney Christopher C. Melcher, according to Yahoo Entertainment.
Spears has been under the yoke of her conservatorship since 2008, in the wake of several hospitalizations for apparent mental health issues over the previous year. Much of the issue came to light with the airing of this year’s documentary “New York Times Presents: Framing Britney Spears.”
In response to the documentary, many celebrities voiced their support to #FreeBritney, including Miley Cyrus, Kim Kardashian, Courtney Love, and more.
Samuel Ingham III, Spears’s court-appointed attorney, told the judge last April that his client “requested that I seek from the court a status hearing at which she can address the court directly,” according to Yahoo Entertainment.
Spears has remained largely lock-lipped, save for an Instagram post shortly after “Framing Britney Spears” aired.
“My life has always been very speculated… watched…judged really my whole life !!!,” captioned the singer alongside a video of her dancing to Aerosmith’s “Crazy.” “I didn’t watch the whole documentary but from what I did see of it I was embarrassed by the light they put me in… I cried for two weeks and well… I still cry sometimes !!!”
“Ms. Spears has shown consistently, her ability to take care of here [here] own needs,” Wantuch stated in the petition. “Feed herself, clothe herself, pay her bills, and seek medical assistance when needed. Ms. Spears is not a threat to herself or others.”
Spears’s statements on the conservatorship arrangement are highly anticipated in a hearing that will take place on June 23.
