Lawyers can't seem to free Britney Spears from the conservatorship that's kept her under her estranged father's thumb for more than a decade. But businesses and consumers can.

New York-based investment management firm Bessemer Trust showed the way forward on Thursday when it filed a motion to withdraw as Spears' co-conservator, citing the pop singer's wishes to end the legal arrangement. Los Angeles County Superior Court Judge Brenda Penny denied Spears' bid to regain her independence, but she agreed to let Bessemer Trust back out.

The company said it "relied on the representations" that Spears' conservatorship was voluntary and doesn't wish to manage the 39-year-old's finances without her consent.

Spears painted a stark picture during a remote court appearance, claiming father James "Jamie" Spears forced her into a rehab program against her will and that he and other handlers micromanage her private life, pressuring her to tour and perform and forbidding her from having an implanted contraceptive device removed even though she wants to marry and have more children.

"I shouldn't be in a conservatorship if I can work," Spears told the judge. "I truly believe this conservatorship is abusive. I don't feel like I can live a full life."

Penny called her statements "courageous," but then disregarded them, declining to terminate the conservatorship or even to remove Spears' father from his role overseeing her affairs.

Hope seems lost for the #FreeBritney movement, but Bessemer Trust's show of corporate responsibility lays the groundwork for victory. Spears says her minders are exploiting her for financial gain. Sometimes, the only way to get rid of a parasite is to starve the host.

Spears hasn't toured since 2018, and she shouldn't see the stage or the inside of a recording studio until she's free to make her own decisions. Venues, promoters, record companies and agents should refuse to do business with Spears' conservators. It's unethical to profit from coercion and human misery, so Hollywood and corporate America must sideline Spears for her own benefit.

Supporters can make it untenable to hire Spears by mounting a public pressure and accountability campaign. It doesn't take a lot of bad press for image-conscious companies to distance themselves from controversy. A Change.org petition and a critical mass of critical tweets seem to be all it takes to unravel any endorsement deal, no matter how lucrative or longstanding.

If concert dates are announced, fans can trade ticket lines for picket lines and protest the shows. After the first organized demonstration, Jamie Spears will be frozen out, unable to book his superstar daughter for bat mitzvahs and birthday parties, let alone arena tours.

Since her royalties are being withheld, take a break from buying Spears' music and officially licensed merchandise. Spears says she's given a $2,000 weekly allowance but cannot access her savings and investments, estimated at $60 million. While courts limit conservators' compensation, those with access to her checkbook can still use her money against her. Deny them every last dime.

Call it a benevolent blacklisting, a compassionate cancellation. It may feel counterintuitive, but voting with your wallet to end Spears' court-sanctioned servitude shows a higher loyalty than downloading her songs or buying Britney memorabilia.

Spears herself could make the call to action, and there's recent evidence to suggest such an appeal can work with startling efficiency.

After CBS Viacom began licensing "Chappelle's Show" to online streaming services, comedian Dave Chappelle asked his fans to boycott the series until the company agreed to restore name and likeness rights bargained away in a lopsided contract and pay him a share of the streaming revenue.

The gambit was a success. In February, Chappelle told an audience at one of his shows that Viacom executives agreed to pay him "millions of dollars" and revoke their right to control his name and likeness.

"I asked you to stop watching the show, and thank God almighty for you, you did," Chappelle said. "You made that show worthless because without your eyes, it's nothing. And when you stopped watching it, they called me."

When Spears' meddlesome minders realize that fans and corporate partners will no longer tolerate their involvement in her career, they'll know it's time to exit through the gift shop.

Corey Friedman is an opinion journalist who explores solutions to political conflicts from an independent perspective. Follow him on Twitter @coreywrites. To find out more about Corey Friedman and read features by other Creators writers and cartoonists, visit the Creators webpage at www.creators.com.

Photo Credit: Glenn Francis at PacificProDigital.com