The lawyer for Britney Spears ' father Jamie Spears has spoken out in an interview amid the conservatorship legal battle between the two.
Jamie, 68, has had conservatorship over his daughter's finances since 2008, and also had control of her personal affairs until 2019. but Britney, 39, is fighting a battle to be released.
A recent New York Times documentary Framing Britney Spears has shone a light on the case with many people believing Britney should be freed from the conservatorship in what has become the #FreeBritney movement.
Jamie's lawyer Vivian Thoreen has defended her client in an interview with Good Morning America, claiming the documentary "needed a villain" and so painted Jamie as such.
"I understand that every story wants to have a villain, but people have it so wrong here," she said.
"This is a story about a fiercely loyal, loving, and dedicated father who rescued his daughter from a life-threatening situation. People were harming her and they were exploiting her."
She continued: "He has collaborated with her to help her regain custody of her children.
"He has brought her finances back from disaster, and he's created a safe environment for her to live her life the way she wants, away from the media that cause her so much pain."
According to Vivian, the court has "carefully reviewed the conservatorship through a dedicated, trained, and highly experienced court investigator" over the years, and they opted to keep the conservatorship in place.
She added that Jamie has "always" wanted to do what was best for his daughter.
"Before the conservatorship, it was reported that Britney was making $40million a year," she said.
"When Jamie stepped in as conservator in 2008, court records show that Britney's assets were worth $2.8million and she was in debt and facing lawsuits to the tune of millions of dollars.
"So it's under Jamie's stewardship for the past 13 years that he's been able to restore Britney's finances to where they are today to nearly $60million."
"Britney makes decisions all the time," she went on. "If she wants to perform, if she wants to record an album, if she wants her name and likeness used, or if she just wants to live her life like a normal person, Jamie collaborates with Britney to make that happen.
Vivian also claimed that Britney even spent time with her father in Louisiana at the start of the pandemic, and "never asked him to step aside".
The Mirror has contacted representatives for Britney for comment.
