Britney Spears' lawyer says she is incapable of signing legal documents as singer's conservatorship case continues. Photo / Supplied
In the ongoing court proceedings for Britney Spears' conservatorship legal battle, Britney's own lawyer, Sam Ingham, has compared her mental state to that of a comatose patient.
TMZ reports that Mr Ingham says she does not have the mental clarity to sign a legal document, and while she isn't physically comatose, mentally she doesn't have the understanding to be capable of signing legally-binding documents.
He further explained how comatose patients often have lawyers sign on their behalf, with Britney needing the exact same treatment.
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Currently, the popstar is under legal conservatorship by her father, Jamie Spears. It means he has control over her personal and financial life.
However, the Toxic singer is fighting to remove her father from that conservatorship.
On Wednesday, during a court proceeding over video conference, Mr Ingham claimed that Britney no longer wanted to perform, despite her father insisting she performs and revives her career.
The judge of the proceedings wanted to hear this from Britney's mouth, however Mr Ingham claimed that her mental state was not sound enough for her to be making legal declarations.
Father Jamie Spears argued the fact that it should be Britney herself who is showing up to the hearings, which wasn't something that Britney's lawyer agreed with.
"I am the exclusive source of information in public pleadings as to what my client wants," he told the court.
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Jamie's lawyer then argued that whatever Mr Ingham claimed could actually be considered as hearsay, since it wasn't Britney delivering the news.
"Perhaps it would be best for Ms Spears to appear so we all know what she's thinking," she asked.
But it wasn't something that would get past Mr Ingham, who claimed that if Britney needs to be under the conservatorship, then she was already lacking the mental capability.
"It's clear counsel has a larger agenda here," Mr Ingham told the judge. "From my perspective, it is self-evident that conservativees can't file verified declarations because they lack the legal capacity to do so."
While Britney tries to remove her father as her sole conservator, she would like to instead appoint a third-party company, Bessemer Trust Company to control her finances.
"Britney is strongly opposed to her father continuing as the sole conservator of her estate," a court document stated. "She strongly prefers to have a qualified corporate fiduciary appointed to serve in this role."
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