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Britney Spears' next step in her legal battle to end her controversial conservatorship began Wednesday afternoon.
Three weeks after her dramatic comments in court condemning the conservatorship that has controlled her life for 13 years, a Los Angeles judge and others with legal power over the pop star convened for a hearing Wednesday to deal with the aftermath.
During the hearing, a judge ruled that Spears would be allowed to hire her own attorney for the case. Spears also revealed she'd like to "charge" her father Jamie Spears, who currently runs her conservatorship, with "conservatorship abuse."
"I’m here to get rid of my dad and charge him with conservatorship abuse," Spears said in court Wednesday. The singer claimed she wants Jamie investigated.
"This conservatorship has allowed my dad to ruin my life," Spears said during the hearing.
Reps for Spears and her father Jamie did not immediately respond to Fox News' request for comment.
Spears' comments three weeks ago marked the first time she's spoken out publicly about ending her conservatorship, which is largely controlled by Jamie. The explosive speech led to the resignation of her court-appointed lawyer, the withdrawal of an estate-management company that was supposed to oversee her finances as well as a volley of accusations between her father and a professional conservator over who's to blame for the legal circumstances Spears said are "abusive" and need to end.
Spears wasn't expected to speak again at the afternoon hearing, in which all the parties took part in remotely, but she ended up weighing in as she sought to hire a lawyer of her choice: former federal prosecutor and veteran Hollywood attorney Mathew Rosengart.
At the June 23 hearing, Spears said she was being forced to take medication and use an intrauterine device for birth control, said she was not allowed to marry her boyfriend, and said she wanted to own her own money.
"I just want my life back," Spears said.
Britney Spears will appear in court again to battle to end her conservatorship. (Getty Images)
She was harshly critical of her father, who serves as conservator of her finances, and had more measured criticism for Jodi Montgomery, the court-appointed professional who serves as conservator of her person, overseeing her life choices.
James Spears said in a legal filing that the court needs to investigate the allegations and Montgomery's role, pointing out that his daughter’s personal life has been beyond his control since he resigned as conservator of her person in 2019, a role he played for 11 years. He opposed Montgomery's request for money to hire security because of recent death threats, saying he has been subjected to similar threats for years.
Montgomery denied that Britney Spears was prevented from marrying or forced to use birth control. She lashed back at James Spears, saying that Britney Spears has expressed no desire to oust her as she has with her father.
Montgomery said she is committed to staying on the job and is putting a care plan in place to help end the conservatorship, something she said James Spears has expressed no desire to do.
"Mr. Spears, as the Conservator of the Estate, and Ms. Montgomery, as the Conservator of the Person, should be working as a team to ensure that Ms. Spears’ best interest are being met, that she is on a path to recovery and termination of her conservatorship, and that she is living her best life possible," Montgomery said in a court filing. "Instead, Mr. Spears has decided it is time to start the finger-pointing and media attacks ... The mud-slinging by Mr. Spears and his new ‘It wasn’t me!’ strategy — after being her sole or co-conservator for more than 13 years — leaves Ms. Montgomery no other choice but to defend herself."
Despite nearly two years on the job, Montgomery's status is still technically temporary. She appeared to be on track for permanent appointment before recent events.
Britney Spears is seeking to get a new lawyer in her ongoing conservatorship case. (Jeff Kravitz/FilmMagic)
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Meanwhile, Britney Spears' longtime court-appointed lawyer, Samuel Ingham III, filed documents last week saying he resigned, effective as soon as she got a new attorney, which at the June hearing she said she wanted.
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The Bessemer Trust, a financial company that Spears had sought as a replacement for her father last year but was instead appointed to work alongside him, also withdrew from the conservatorship last week, saying it no longer wanted to take part in a legal arrangement that she didn't want.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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