A Los Angeles lawyer, briefly associated with Britney Spears’ on-going court cases/conservatorship has spoken out publicly about the way Britney has been treated, and is being treated, by the California court system. Jon Eardley, who was contacted by Britney last February, claims that Britney has been treated like a Soviet labor camp victim, that the conservatorship appointed by the court was, in effect, Britney’s “Gulag”.
Eardley claims that after Britney contacted him, the conservation was cut short, and that he was barred by Britney’s father from representing Britney’s interests and placed under a restraining order. The Daily Telegraph has more:
A Los Angeles lawyer has claimed that Britney Spears is being treated by the courts like a Soviet labour camp victim as depicted in Solzhenitsyn’s Gulag Archipelago.
In newly released court papers, Jon Eardley likened her plight to that of forced labourers in Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn’s literary masterpiece. Mr Eardley was voicing his objections to the court-ordered conservatorship that currently governs the pop singer’s life.
“It is worth noting that there has not even been a ‘show trial’ for Miss Spears,” Mr Eardley said, according to the Los Angeles Times. He became associated with Spears in February last year, after the singer’s father was given the legal right to control her personal life.
The lawyer claimed that she contacted him to enlist his services, but the conversation was cut short. Following an intense legal wrangle, Mr. Eardley was subsequently barred from attempting to represent Spears and placed under a restraining order.
He has since distanced himself from the case, but is appealing to have the restraining order against him cancelled. Speaking on the singer’s behalf, her court-appointed lawyer, Samuel Ingham III, said that she “expressly repudiated Mr Eardley’s involvement”, adding that it was her express wish to be protected by the conservatorship.
From The Sunday Telegraph
I have mixed feelings about this. Despite the jokes that I (and many others) make about how crazy Britney is, I really think she has a serious mental illness. She needs to be protected legally, financially and physically, and I think her father’s involvement in her life has been a net plus. But I’m also really uncomfortable with many aspects of Britney’s “comeback”.
It seems like Britney’s father has been seemingly too eager to get Britney back on the road, making money, when she should be piecing together her personal life and her relationships with her sons. It would be nice to think Britney is now well enough to take charge of her own life and make her own legal, financial and career decisions, but I doubt that’s the case.
Britney is shown in Miami with her sons on 3/10/09. Credit: KADENA PIX/bauergriffinonline.com
Maybe the best thing for her was getting back to work instead of sitting at home every day dwelling on the crazy and the things that brought the crazy out. I’m glad he made the precautions of the clauses in the dancers’ contracts and that he is there with her along with her boys. She seems to have some stability even while on the road.
I think this is the lawyer that Sam Lutfi hooked Britney up with just after the whole 5150 hold incident. If it’s the same dude, his opinion on this is tainted.
The results of the so-called Gulag speak for themselves. Britney is looking good, she’s back to work and most importantly, she is able to see her kids. Sometimes being a prisoner ain’t so bad.
I don’t recall Ivan lounging around his multimillion dollar estate — with minions to service his every whim — but admittedly, it’s been years since I’ve read the book, so my memories are probably hazy.
if the atty is not lufti’s, but rather a neutral party that indeed has her best interests in mind, then she has every right to commandeer her life for good or for bad. the issue at hand seems to be that her rights have been violated for her family’s personal financial gain which is objectionable. ‘they’ deemed her competent enough to perform a world tour, enough said.
I think Britney might not be alive today if her parents hadn’t stepped in and taken control. She no longer was able to care for herself, and I really believe she might have died if allowed to continue on the path she was on.
I agree with dovesgate: Keeping her busy is a good way to help people with mental problems. I suffer from manic depression myself, and even on medication there is no cure; boredom is the WORST thing for us. Keeping busy and active is a must, and I’m glad Brit’s dad is keeping that up, although sometimes I do get that “back on the gravytrain” vibe, no one can dispute that she is doing much better than she has in years.
Why would anyone give this stalking piece of trash a second thought or a moment in the press? I’m sure it is because Brittney news has become stale and the media is trying to find anything to renew readers interest in her.
The courts in CA know the real story and wouldn’t mistakenly add someone to a restraining order if they didn’t deserve to be added-as this scumbag was stalking her.
Let look at the facts here. All lawyers are scumbags wanting to suck as much money out of a client as possible. Why would anyone think this guy is any different.
Imagine this guys luck when a crazy Britney Spears called him out of the blue and offered him $$$ and unlimited access to her fortune for his representation? His call was cut off most likely at his insistence of getting $$$ or a credit card from her before continuing his conversation. If he could have gotten her to sign on the dotted line and hire him he would have been due a huge payday. So as events played out he must have blatantly stalked her in an attempt to get her to sign a contract so he could pilfer all he could from her fortune…
Hey Lady: mental illness is not mental retardation! Many persons have it, Nobel Prizes included (for example, a congressman like Patrick Kennedy!!!). If she can work she can take care of herself. It’s about time to stop treating her like a cash cow… if she is disabled then she can’t work either, if she can compose, sing, dance and train she is competent to spend the money SHE earns. It doesn’t get more complicated than that.
Comparing Britney to a Nobel Prize winner? Now that’s stretching things a bit. And remember, not all of us are convinced that Britney’s downfall was a result of a genuine mental illness. But rather the spoiled, self-important, and drug-addled antics of a girl who never had to do anything for herself.
Guy’s an ass. Her life is nothing like the gulags. Not the same, but my granddad was in a Russian POW camp and he came out of it a ghost of himself. The gulags were sheer horror. Lord, what a bonehead for making that comparison. Anyway, I agree, seems like saying busy would be good for Britney – but too bad that for her, it means staying in showbiz, as opposed to being a full-time mom. I don’t know any mom with two young boys who isn’t run off her feet, THAT’s busy too you know! Then again, given Britney’s life and upbringing (or lack thereof), she probably is not equipped to be a normal mom, much less a regular human being. And I’m not sure how much of her mental illness can be blamed for that. Dunno…still think she’s white trash, unfort. Or, as someone else put it, the world’s highest-paid exotic dancer. Maybe she’ll retire when/if she hits her 30s and she can finally live out of a trailer in the Vegas desert. And put on a show every now and then in Vegas. No matter how good she looks now (debatable), it’s still sad to see her now when compared to the early photos. Something happened after her first album.
Of course there are those out there that do not understand mental illness and never will. They have to have an IQ over 40 to get it. They would rather just belive that she was having tantrums and bringing all of that on her shoulders for lack of anyting else to do and being spolied. She was and is so spolied having been put to work at age what? 9?? To dance and sing to support her mom and dad?? Of course using a child like that for all those years doesn’t hurt them at all. Then after the damage you have done takes her down you of course get a hold of the money she has made and get control of it ..so once again you are using this girl to support you. But she is only nuts because she wants to be lol How does that work for real shrinks?? Better then the low IQ people who think she is doing this because it is sooo much fun for her lol
I think working is good for Brit… HOWEVER… Does she need to be on tour so soon? Do we need to see her being sexualized TO THE MAX in her videos? It’s creepy and it makes you wonder how much of it is really her choice… I would have liked to see her doing TV work for a while longer. Much less stressful than a tour.
She’s doing great, has her family back and her kids and is looking hot again, as for this media hound lawyer hey buddy can you say defamation
This has nothing to do with “understanding” mental illness. I’ve had plenty of personal experience, and it is MY OPINION that Britney was more gluttonous than ill.
Oh, and Judy, insulting my intelligence because I dare not see things your way says far more about your intellectual shortcomings than mine.
Rosanna: many people who are able to work and to earn money are incompetent to spend it.
Never heard of families living in poverty because the main earner spends all his paychecks on alcohol, or gambles ?