Jamie Spears is attempting to play chess, not checkers, in regard to his daughter's conservatorship case.
It's the pop queen's gambit.
On Sept. 7, Britney Spears' father stunned virtually everyone when he asked a judge to end the conservatorship that has guided his daughter's life for over 13 years. A new report by TMZ says that Jamie doesn't really want the conservatorship to end, and thinks the court will actually keep it in place. In fact, he "feared the worst" if a judge actually pulls the plug on it.
As recently as a month ago, Jamie even reportedly told friends that Britney was "never getting out of the conservatorship," believing that it was necessary for her survival.
"He knows how mentally ill his daughter is, and has genuinely tried to protect her," a source said.
Citing sources close to Jamie Spears, the webloid said the family patriarch thinks the pop star's mental health is deteriorating. Still, he asked the court to finally set Britney free, but TMZ points to one major caveat in his request: he asked the judge to end his control over Brit's estate without doing a mental evaluation, but he's also certain that the court will insist on one.
In his mind, that's his ace in the hole.
Jamie feels that there is a mountain of evidence that would prevent a judge from ending it. If that were the case, Britney's dad would maintain the conservatorship but come off like the proverbial good cop, since he asked for it to end. This, he feels, could even help mend his relationship with Britney.
Further, the move also puts Britney's lawyer, Mathew Rosengart, in an interesting position of having to agree with Jamie. Interestingly enough, Brit's lawyer has yet to formally file for an end to the conservatorship, so Jamie beat him to the punch.