There have been many moments this summer when it seemed like the liberation of Britney Spears was imminent. First, there was the explosive testimony she gave in court on June 23: "I've told the world I'm happy and OK," the pop star said about the conservatorship that's controlled her life for 13 years. "I'm traumatized. I'm not happy, I can't sleep," Spears confessed. She called the situation "abusive" and said she wanted to charge her father with conservatorship abuse. It was somber vindication for both Spears and the #FreeBritney advocates who've been in her corner all along — though the world first dismissed them as conspiracy theorists.
Since then, the media has closely monitored every development in her case. Spears was allowed to hire her own lawyer, and she tapped former federal prosecutor Mathew Rosengart, whose client Sean Penn once called him "a tough as nails streetfighter with a big brain and bigger principles." He filed a motion to strip Jamie Spears of power over his daughter (though not to end the guardianship outright, curiously). In turn, the elder Spears submitted court documents saying he intended to step down eventually, but only once he was satisfied with the transition to a new conservator for Britney. Rosengart fired back with papers accusing Jamie of extorting his daughter for an additional $2 million to resign.
