"I understand that every story wants to have a villain."
Jamie Spears' lawyer defended her client amid the ongoing drama surrounding Britney Spears' conservatorship.
During an appearance on Thursday's "Good Morning America," Vivian L. Thoreen insisted the recent public outcry over Jamie controlling the pop star's medical and financial decisions since 2008 was unjustifiable.
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View Story"I understand that every story wants to have a villain, but people have it so wrong here," Thoreen claimed. "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. Jamie saved Britney's life."
The court-mandated conservatorship -- put in place after Britney's two hospitalizations -- came under scrutiny once again with the recent release of the "Framing Britney Spears" documentary. It is also the cornerstone of the #FreeBritney movement, where fans believe Britney is being controlled against her will.
"Jamie serves as Britney's conservator because he loves her," Thoreen argued. "He wants the best for Britney."
She also argued that Jamie saved the singer's finances. At the time the conservatorship was put in place, Britney's assets were only worth $2.8 million, while she reportedly netted $40 million in yearly revenue. Thoreen claimed the discrepancy was due to "mismanagement."
.@ABC NEWS EXCLUSIVE: “Jamie saved Britney’s life.”
— Good Morning America (@GMA) February 25, 2021 @GMA
Jamie Spears’ attorney speaks out on the conservatorship fight. @arobach has the story. https://t.co/2p4CNhDPvn pic.twitter.com/pLhKGLlC4S
"She was being taken advantage of financially by some of those around her."
Under Jamie's "stewardship," according to the attorney, the singer's finances were restored to $60 million by 2019.
"He has collaborated with her," Thoreen said of Jamie's role in the dramatic turn-around. "When she is up for performing, she has performed. When she wants to record an album, she can record an album. And when she wants to live her life, the way she wants like a normal person, he has collaborated with her to do that as well."
As for Britney's lawyer arguing in court that Britney said she wouldn't perform again until Jamie was removed from the conservatorship, Thoreen said the legal filing didn't match up with Jamie's experience during a recent family gathering.
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View Story"Throughout 2020, Britney and her father had many conversations," she began. "And in fact, early on in the pandemic, they spent two weeks with other family members hunkered down in Louisiana, Britney and Jamie went on long drives together. They played and worked in the family garden. And every night Jamie cooked Southern comfort food that the family ate and enjoyed together. And in that time, Britney never expressed those words to her father. She's never asked him to step aside."
Britney's defense team also suggested Britney was "scared" of Jamie.
"Jamie loves his daughter," Thoreen responded to the claim. "And like any other family, issues come up from time to time, but this in no way takes away from the love and support that they have for each other. Britney knows that her daddy loves her and she knows that she can call on him anytime, conservatorship or not."
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View StoryThoreen went on to explain how courts take conservatorships extremely seriously and that they "would not have appointed Jamie or kept him on if Jamie weren't a loving father and grandfather, and if he weren't a responsible conservator -- and he's all of those things."
When asked why Britney has not come out publicly to squash the rumors that she doesn't want her father in control of her life, Thoreen replied, "You'll have to ask Britney."
Britney's conservatorship was recently extended to September 3, 2021. The next hearing is scheduled for March 17.