After a bombshell court appearance, Britney Spears’ longtime court-appointed counsel Samuel D. Ingham III will resign from her conservatorship, according to documents filed Tuesday (July 6).
Ingham, who was court-appointed to represent Spears and has done so for the last thirteen years, was allegedly upset after hearing Spears’ virtual testimony to a judge last month, where she expressed, for the first time publicly, her desire for the conservatorship to end and for her father, Jamie Spears, to stop controlling her personal decisions, finances and communications. TMZ was first to report the news of Ingham’s resignation.
According to TMZ, Ingham had regularly given the 39-year-old Toxic singer options, including that she could request for the conservatorship end. But in Spears’ 20-minute testimony, she emphasized that she didn’t know she could petition for the conservatorship to end.
A recent New Yorker story noted that Ingham would report on Spears’ activities and movements and suggested that he may have been more loyal to the singer’s father and to the conservatorship. Spears covers his annual salary of $520,000.
Benny Roshan, chair of Greenberg Glusker’s trusts and probate litigation group, recently speculated that Ingham may announce his resignation due to Spears’ dissatisfaction. “If Britney really wants new counsel, and she tells enough people, there is a possibility that Ingham may consider it wise to resign and end on a high note rather than being removed by a court order,” said Roshan.
Spears’ manager Larry Rudolph resigned earlier this week amid reports that the pop singer has plans to retire. Rudolph had worked with Spears for the last 25 years, though has alleged that he has not been in contact with her for the last two and a half years due to her work hiatus.
Financial form Bessamer Trust, which was appointed as Spears’ co-conservator, also recently requested to resign from the role, citing her desire for the conservatorship to stop.
Among Spears’ few performances in recent years is her Piece of Me Tour in 2018. According to the New Yorker, her contract required she remain under the conservatorship.
This article was originally published by The Hollywood Reporter.
