Britney Spears is under investigation over misdemeanor battery after a staff member at her home alleged the singer struck her, authorities said Thursday. Deputies responded to Spears’ home in Southern California after the staff member reported the Monday night dispute, the Ventura County Sheriff’s Office said. No one was injured. Also read: Britney Spears’ dad will exit conservatorship, but not yet Reports taken by deputies will be handed over to prosecutors for consideration, the sheriff’s office said, giving no further details. Spears’ attorney Matthew Rosengart said in an email that the investigation is “overblown sensational tabloid fodder -- nothing more than a manufactured ‘he said she said’ regarding a cellphone, with no striking and obviously no injury whatsoever.” “Anyone can make an accusation but this should have been closed immediately,” Rosengart said. Spears has a home in Thousand Oaks, about 40 miles (64 kilometers) west of downtown Los Angeles. Spears, 39, hired Rosengart last month as she seeks to regain greater control of her life 13 years into a court conservatorship that has power over her money and affairs. Also read: Britney Spears' public support may not mean much in court In court hearings, Spears called the conservatorship “abusive.” Rosengart has made his first priority removing Spears’ father, James Spears, from his role as conservator of his finances. James Spears said in a court filing last week that he has a plan in the works to step down, but gave no timetable.

Britney Spears told a judge at a dramatic hearing Wednesday she wants an end to the conservatorship that has controlled her life and money for 13 years. Here’s a look at how conservatorships operate, what’s unusual about hers, and why she and so many fans want to #FreeBritney. HOW DO CONSERVATORSHIPS WORK? When a person is considered to have a severely diminished mental capacity, a court can step in and grant someone the power to make financial decisions and major life choices for them. California law says a conservatorship, called a guardianship in some states, is justified for a “person who is unable to provide properly for his or her personal needs for physical health, food, clothing, or shelter,” or for someone who is “substantially unable to manage his or her own financial resources or resist fraud or undue influence.” The conservator, as the appointee put in charge is called, may be a family member, a close friend or a court-appointed professional. Also read: Britney Spears tells judge: ‘I want my life back’ HOW DOES SPEARS’ WORK? With a fortune of more than $50 million comes secrecy, and the court closely guards the inner workings of Spears’ conservatorship. Some aspects have been revealed in documents. The conservatorship has the power to restrict her visitors. It arranges and oversees visits with her sons, ages 14 and 15; father Kevin Federline has full custody. It has the power to take out restraining orders in her name, which it has used more than once to keep away interlopers deemed shady. It has the power to make her medical decisions and her business deals. She said at Wednesday’s hearing that she has been compelled to take drugs against her will, has been kept from having an intrauterine device for birth control removed and has been required to undertake performances when she didn’t want to. Legally, Spears can get married, but the conservatorship must approve it as with other major life decisions. Spears said Wednesday that she wants to get married and have another child, but has been denied the chance to do either. Like all California conservatorships, it’s subject to annual accountings and reviews from a court investigator. WHO HAS POWER OVER SPEARS? Her father has largely been in charge through the years, and the stereotypical image of a parent preying on a famous child’s fortune fuels the enmity against James Spears and the conservatorship, though his every move is scrutinized by the court. From 2008 until 2019, he had power over her life choices, and he and attorney Andrew Wallet controlled her money. Now, he has financial control only, and must share that role with the Bessemer Trust, an estate-management firm. Jodi Montgomery, a court-appointed professional, now acts as conservator over her personal matters. Also read: Attorneys spar over powers held by Britney Spears’ father WHY ARE SO MANY CALLING TO #FREEBRITNEY? Fans who dote on Britney Spears’ social media posts and public statements, trying to decipher her every utterance, dance move or shared meme, have increasingly coalesced into a movement after becoming convinced she was being controlled unfairly. Key were two women who in 2017 turned their hobby of picking apart Spears’ Instagram posts into a podcast, “ Britney’s ’Gram.” It would help birth the hashtag #FreeBritney. Hearings can bring dozens of protesters to the courthouse, carrying signs like “CONSERVATORSHIP IS SLAVERY” and “THIS IS TOXIC.” James Spears has called the group conspiracy theorists, and says those who shout #FreeBritney don’t understand the totality of the situation. Fans said after the most recent hearing that they felt vindicated by Britney Spears confirming much of what they have said. WHY WAS IT IMPOSED IN THE FIRST PLACE? In 2007 and 2008, shortly after she became a mother, she began to have very public mental struggles, with media outlets obsessed over each moment. Hordes of paparazzi aggressively followed her every time she left her house, and she no longer seemed able to handle it. She attacked one cameraman’s car with an umbrella. She shaved her head at a salon. She lost custody of her children. When she refused to turn over her boys after a visit, she was hospitalized and put on a psychiatric hold. The conservatorship was put in place within days. WHY HAS IT GONE ON SO LONG? A conservatorship can always be dissolved by the court, though it’s rare that a person successfully asks to be released. The burden is on them to prove their competence. Spears told the judge Wednesday that she would like to be released without further evaluation, but there is virtually no chance of that happening. They can last decades because the circumstances that lead to them, like traumatic brain injury, Alzheimer’s, or dementia, are not things people just bounce back from. The mandatory secrecy of medical records has kept murky the reasons why Britney Spears must remain in hers, but it’s clear that it involves psychiatric issues. A recent filing said that she wasn’t capable of giving consent for medical treatment. Spears’ father and his attorneys have emphasized that she is especially susceptible to people who seek to take advantage of her money and fame. Also read: No Britney Spears, no decisions made at closed court hearing HOW DOES SPEARS FEEL ABOUT ALL OF THIS? Before Wednesday, it was largely a mystery. But she revealed more in her 20 minute address to the judge than she has in the 13 previous years. She called the conservatorship “abusive” and “stupid.” She said it does “me way more harm than good.” She said she wanted control of her own money and to do simple everyday things like ride in a car with her boyfriend. She said she wanted power over her psychotherapy. And that she wants her life back. “It’s been 13 years and it’s enough,” she said. She did acknowledge in a court filing last year that it did have some value when it was first established, saying it “rescued her from a collapse, exploitation by predatory individuals and financial ruin” and made her “able to regain her position as a world class entertainer.”

After 13 years of near silence in the conservatorship that controls her life and money, Britney Spears passionately told a judge Wednesday that she wants to end the “abusive” case that has made her feel demoralized and enslaved. Speaking in open court for the first time in the case, Spears condemned her father and others who control the conservatorship, which she said has compelled her to use birth control and take other medications against her will, and prevented her from getting married or having another child. “This conservatorship is doing me way more harm than good,” the 39-year-old Spears said. “I deserve to have a life.” She spoke fast and sprinkled profanity into the written speech that lasted more than 20 minutes as her parents, fans and journalists listed to an audio livestream. Many of the details Spears revealed have been carefully guarded by the court for years. Spears told Los Angeles Superior Court Judge Brenda Penny that “I want to end this conservatorship without being evaluated.” Penny thanked the pop star for her “courageous” words but made no rulings. A long legal process is likely before any decision is made on terminating the conservatorship. Spears said she wants to marry her boyfriend Sam Asghari and have a baby with him, but she is not allowed to even drive with him. “All I want is to own my money and for this to end and for my boyfriend to be able to drive me in his (expletive) car,” Spears said. “I truly believe this conservatorship is abusive,” Spears said, adding at another point, “I want my life back.” When an attorney representing her co-conservator said the hearing and transcript should be kept sealed if private medical information was to be revealed, Spears shouted her down, saying her words should be public. “They’ve done a good job at exploiting my life,” Spears said, “so I feel like it should be an open court hearing and they should listen and hear what I have to say.” She went on to say she was forced to take lithium — which made her feel “drunk” — after rehearsals broke down for a Vegas residency in 2019, which was subsequently canceled. She said all she had done was disagree with one part of the show’s choreography. “I’m not here to be anyone’s slave,” Spears said. “I can say no to a dance move.” “Not only did my family not do a goddamn thing, my dad was all for it,” Spears said. She accused her father of relishing his power over her, as he showed when she failed a series of psychological tests in 2019 and forced her to go into a mental hospital. “I cried on the phone for an hour, and he loved every minute of it,” Spears said. ”The control he had over someone as powerful as me, as he loved the control to hurt his own daughter 100,000%.” Spears said she felt forced to do the Las Vegas residency on the heels of a tour, and felt like a great weight was lifted when it was canceled. She has not performed or recorded since. Spears also said several nurses often watch her every move, not even letting her change her clothes in private. Vivian Thoreen, attorney for Spears’ father, James Spears, gave a brief statement on his behalf after conferring with him during a recess. “He is sorry to see his daughter suffering and in so much pain,” Thoreen said. “Mr. Spears loves his daughter, and misses her very much.” James Spears serves as co-conservator of his daughter’s finances, and also had control of her life decisions for most of the conservatorship. He currently serves as co-conservator of her finances. Britney Spears said her years-long public silence has falsely created the impression that she approved of her circumstances. “I’ve lied and told the whole world, ‘I’m OK, I’m happy,’ ” she said. “I’ve been in denial, I’ve been in shock. I am traumatized.” More than 100 fans from the so called #FreeBritney movement gathered outside the courthouse before the hearing, holding signs that read “Free Britney now!” and “Get out of Britney’s life!” Fan Marissa Cooper was inside the courtroom, and cried and occasionally clapped during the remarks. “It was insane,” Cooper said outside court. “Everyone that’s been following this has been called crazy since the beginning, and conspiracy theorists, so it just feels really really good to actually hear it from her.” Spears said she has not felt heard in any of her previous appearances before the court, all of which were sealed from the public. Her court-appointed attorney, Samuel Ingham III, said he made no attempt to “control, or filter, or edit” his client’s words. He said Spears has not officially asked him to file a petition to end the conservatorship. Spears said she had done research that showed her conservatorship could be ended without further evaluation of her. But under California law, the burden would be on her to prove she is competent to manage her own affairs, and an intensive investigation and evaluation is probably inevitable before it can come to an end. The conservatorship was put in place as she underwent a mental health crisis in 2008. She has credited its initial establishment with saving her from financial ruin and keeping her a top flight pop star. Her father and his attorneys have emphasized that she and her fortune, which court records put at more than $50 million, remain vulnerable to fraud and manipulation. Under the law, the burden would be on Spears to prove she is competent before the case could end. Britney Spears’ ex-boyfriend Justin Timberlake was among many who expressed outrage at her revelations. “What’s happening to her is just not right,” Timberlake tweeted. “No woman should ever be restricted from making decisions about her own body.”