The judge on Thursday appointed Wilson’s two longtime representatives, publicist Gene Sievers and manager Leanne Hardt, as her conservators. No significant objections were raised.

Wilson, 81, is the latest celebrity to be involved in a conservatorship case. Others include young actor Amanda Bynes, who was placed under the control of her parents for nine years, and radio and TV personality Casey Kasem, whose guardianship ended in a fierce battle between his wife and adult children before his death in 2014. Had become a part of. Music legend Joni Mitchell was placed under a temporary conservatorship in 2015 after suffering a brain aneurysm before she could recover.

The most famous was Britney Spears’ controversial conservatorship, which ended in 2021 after nearly 14 years. The #FreeBritney campaign helped garner national attention amid efforts by the popstar to regain control of her finances and livelihood. She alleged that her father, who was her guardian, had abused her. James Spears and his lawyers argued that she was particularly vulnerable to people who wanted to take advantage of her fame and fortune.

Here’s a look at how conservatorships operate, what led to Wilson’s case, and the #FreeBritney impact:

What does guardianship mean?

When a person is deemed to have severely diminished mental capacity, the court may step in and give others the power to make financial decisions and major life choices for them, sometimes without their consent. These often include people with developmental or intellectual disabilities, or people with issues such as age-related dementia.

California law states that guardianship, called guardianship in some states, is appropriate for a person who is “unable to properly provide for his or her personal needs for physical health, food, clothing, or shelter” or for someone who For those who are “substantially” unable to manage their own financial resources or to resist fraudulent or undue influence.

The guardian may be a family member, close friend, or a court-appointed professional. They can control a person’s life decisions, their financial decisions, or both.

Although Spears’ case drew attention to the conservatorship – much of it negative –, Wilson’s case is closer to the typical use of the conservatorship, which is often instituted for older people undergoing irreversible mental decline.

Although conservatorships can always be dissolved by the court, it is rare that someone wins their release from one – as Spears essentially did.

In another high-profile case, Cher is asking the court to put one of her sons under conservatorship controlling her money. The huge payout to Elijah Blue Allman, 47, from the trust of his late father, rocker Gregg Allman, is putting him in danger because of his struggles with mental health and substance abuse, the award-winning singer and actor argued in a petition.

Los Angeles Superior Court Judge Jessica A. Uzcategui was not convinced there was an immediate need for conservatorship and in January she rejected a petition for temporary conservatorship. She is still considering a larger, long-term conservatorship and will hear more arguments at a hearing in June, but she indicated she is not on Cher’s side.

What was the reason for Wilson’s guardianship?

Wilson, who has been lauded by some as a musical genius and who wrote or co-wrote many of the Beach Boys’ biggest hits, including “Good Vibrations” and “God Only Knows”, has struggled with mental health and substance abuse issues. Which influenced his career. 1960s.

He met his future wife, Melinda Wilson, while he was a customer at a car dealership where she worked in the mid-1980s. At the time, Wilson had been under the supervision of psychologist Dr. Eugene Landy for years. Melinda and others believed that Landy was exploiting and abusing Wilson, and she feuded with Landy for years before Wilson was banned from any contact with her in 1992. The couple married in 1995.

Melinda Wilson died unexpectedly earlier this year. Wilson has credited him with stabilizing his famously troubled life, and managing his daily life in recent years.

“Our five children and I are crying. We are lost,” Brian Wilson wrote on his website. “Melinda was more than my wife. She was my protector.”

Due to his mental decline and his death, Brian Wilson’s management team petitioned the court in February to place him under conservatorship. Losing a spouse in such circumstances is a common trigger for such legal arrangements. The petition only sought guardianship of Wilson’s person, stating that he did not need a guardian over his finances because his assets were held in a trust, of which manager Hard is a trustee.

A doctor’s declaration said Wilson has a “major neurocognitive disorder”, is taking medication for dementia, and is “unable to properly provide for his personal needs for physical health, food, clothing or shelter.” is unable.”

Court-appointed attorney Robert Frank Cipriano wrote in a report that Wilson can get around with the help of a walker and a caregiver. He said Wilson has a good sense of who he is, where he is, and when, but he cannot tell the names of his children other than the two who live with him.

In approving the petition, Los Angeles Superior Court Judge Gus T. May said the evidence showed Wilson consented to the arrangement and lacked the capacity to make health care decisions.

What impact did the #FreeBritney movement have on guardianship?

Some fans objected to Spears’ conservatorship soon after it began. But the movement and the #FreeBritney hashtag actually began in early 2019, when some believed she was being forced into a psychiatric hospital against her will.

Fans looked at his social media posts for clues about his well-being and protested outside the court at every hearing. Spears’ father and others had long dismissed these fans as conspiracy theorists, but their influence on Spears’ case was ultimately undeniable and she credited them for her success.

In 2022, California lawmakers amended state law to require judges to document all options before granting guardianship. The update, which took effect last year, gained popularity among the #FreeBritney movement. Advocacy groups argued that people like Spears could become trapped in a system that strips them of their civil rights and ability to advocate for themselves.

Several other states, including New Jersey, New Mexico, and Oregon, have used the attention brought to the issue by Spears and her followers to change their own guardianship laws.

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