On June 23rd, Britney Spears delivered a testimony before an open court where she described the conservatorship which has controlled her life for the past 13 years as “abusive.”
The hearing took place in Los Angeles before Judge Brenda Penny, and marks the first time the singer has ever publicly spoken out against her situation.
The conservatorship has given her father Jamie Spears, and a licensed conservator, control over Britney’s estate, career, medical care and aspects of her personal life.
During the hearing, Britney pleaded: “This conservatorship is doing me way more harm than good. I deserve to have a life.”
Britney Spears shares testimony in conservatorship hearing
Britney Spears testified before an open Los Angeles court on Wednesday, and claimed that she was forced to take lithium against her will. The singer said:
“Lithium is very very strong, it’s a completely different medication to what I was used to.”
“It’s a strong drug. You can go mentally impaired if you stay on it longer than five months. I felt drunk, I couldn’t even have a conversation with my mom or dad about anything.”
Being unable to have more children is also part of her conservatorship, Britney claimed, and stated:
“I want to be able to get married and have a baby. I was told right now in the conservatorship I am not able to get married or have a baby.”
Other claims mentioned in Britney’s testimony include being forced to perform against her will, being banned from seeing friends, and being barred from speaking to the media.
Who is Judge Brenda Penny?
Judge Brenda Penny is a judge for the Los Angeles County Superior Court in California and was appointed to the bench in 2018 by former Governor Jerry Brown.
Judge Penny began her legal career back in 1982 when she started as an associate at the law firm Gronemeier and Barker and in 1989, she was named a partner.
In 1994, Penny entered into solo practice and three years later in 1997, she became a probate attorney for the Los Angeles County Superior Court. Then, in 2014, Penny was elected by the court judges to serve as court commissioner.
Judge Penny is a registered democrat and received her B.A from the University of Southern California before going on to receive her J.D from the University of West Los Angeles School of Law.