BRITNEY’S DAD BATTLES TO KEEP CASE OUT OF FEDERAL COURT
February 21, 2008
Attorneys for Britney Spears' father, Jamie Spears, argued in a motion on Tuesday that his daughter's conservatorship case should remain in state court.
A federal judge wants an attorney who claims to represent Britney Spears to explain why he believes her the case belongs in federal court.
Attorney Jon Eardley argues that the terms of the conservatorship, which occurs when a court determines someone cannot take care of themselves or their affairs, violate the pop star's civil rights.
This week, Judge Philip Gutierrez ordered Eardley to explain by Feb. 29 why the federal court should intervene in a Britney's case.
Jaime Spears' team argued that a state Superior Court commissioner had previously found that the singer did not have the capacity to retain counsel, and that conservatorship matters do not fall under federal jurisdiction anyway.
The commissioner placed Spears under a conservatorship in January, after she was taken to a psychiatric hospital for the second time in as many months. Her father and attorney Andrew Wallet were named co-conservators of her estate.
