Britney Spears' 13-Year Conservatorship Ends Following Judge's Court Approval: 'Hereby Terminated'
Britney Spears is free — the singer will no longer be under the conservatorship that has ruled her life for the last 13 years, effective immediately.
On Friday, Los Angeles County judge Brenda Penny approved Jamie Spears' petition to end the conservatorship of his 39-year-old daughter Britney, after the singer made clear over the summer that she wanted out of the legal situation, in which she's been embroiled for more than a decade.
"The court finds and determines that the conservatorship of the person and the estate is no longer required," Judge Penny said in court Friday afternoon. "Therefore, effective today, the conservatorship of the person and estate of Britney Jean Spears… is hereby terminated."
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While Britney's conservatorship of the estate and of the person have been terminated, temporary conservator John Zabel will have "administrative powers" in Britney's trust and estate. Meanwhile, her personal conservator Montgomery will "be there for anything she needs," according to Montgomery's attorney Wright.
Image group LA/Disney/Getty Britney Spears
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At the start of the hearing, Britney's attorney Mathew Rosengart stated, "I don't want to bury the lede — we believe the conservatorship as a practical matter should end today."
While addressing the court, he said, "The time has come today to end the conservatorship. Mr. Spears in prior counsel in a 180-degree reversal was insisting upon termination on that day. Our position was that termination was appropriate. But we wanted to put into place a safety net, both on the financial side and on the personal side, and true [to] our word papers were submitted to the court by Ms. Wright on behalf of Miss Montgomery in terms of termination care plan."
He added that papers were filed on the estate side as well and that an "orderly transfer of power" was in the works.
"I just wanted to make the court aware that the safety net has been put in place both in regard to the financial side and the personal side," he said.
Kevin Mazur/Getty Britney Spears
Both Jamie's attorney Alex M. Weingarten and conservator of Britney's person Jodi Montgomery's attorney Lauriann Wright told the court they had nothing to add. Britney's mother Lynne's attorney Gladstone Jones stated that Lynne was "supportive" of the decision. She appeared on camera for part of the hearing, while Jamie also joined remotely via phone.
A hearing set for Dec. 8 was canceled and will instead take place on Jan. 19 at 1:30 local time.
Jamie Spears was removed from his role as Britney's estate conservator on Sept. 29, one week after the pop star's attorney, Rosengart, asked the court to suspend him. John Zabel was appointed as temporary conservator to execute trust estate planning documents and supplemental documents, Judge Penny ruled.
At the time, Jamie's previous lawyer Vivian L. Thoreen had pushed for immediate termination of the conservatorship as opposed to Jamie's suspension.
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During the September court hearing in which Jamie was suspended, Rosengart accused Jamie of being "cruel" and "abusive" toward his daughter, though a statement from Jamie's lawyer said he had been "biting his tongue and not responding to all the false, speculative, and unsubstantiated attacks on him by certain members of the public, media, or more recently, Britney's own attorney."
"These facts make the outcome of yesterday's hearing all the more disappointing, and frankly, a loss for Britney. Respectfully, the court was wrong to suspend Mr. Spears, put a stranger in his place to manage Britney's estate, and extend the very conservatorship that Britney begged the court to terminate earlier this summer," the statement read, noting that it was Jamie who "took the initiative" to file the petition to terminate the conservatorship in the first place, and who asked to have it terminated again at another recent hearing.
In early September, Britney's father said in a court filing that Spears "is entitled to have this Court now seriously consider whether this conservatorship is no longer required," which Britney's team described as a "massive legal victory."
Getty (2) Lynne Spears and Britney Spears
"Recent events related to this conservatorship have called into question whether circumstances have changed to such an extent that grounds for establishment of a conservatorship may no longer exist," Jamie's filing read.
Jamie's petition went on to reference what Britney had said during several explosive court hearings over the summer: "Ms. Spears has told this Court that she wants control of her life back without the safety rails of a conservatorship."
"As Mr. Spears has said again and again, all he wants is what is best for his daughter," the filing continued. "If Ms. Spears wants to terminate the conservatorship and believes that she can handle her own life, Mr. Spears believes that she should get that chance."
Britney's attorney Rosengart — who was hired by Spears after the court allowed her to retain a lawyer in August — told PEOPLE earlier this month that Jamie's filing was "vindication" for Britney.
"Having exposed his misconduct and improper plan to hold his daughter hostage by trying to extract a multi-million dollar settlement, Mr. Spears has now effectively surrendered. There is no settlement," Rosengart said in a statement to PEOPLE.
getty; Alex Berliner/Shutterstock Britney Spears, Jamie Spears
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"To the extent Mr. Spears believes he can try to avoid accountability and justice, including sitting for a sworn deposition and answering other discovery under oath, he is incorrect and our investigation into financial mismanagement and other issues will continue."
The judge's approval comes after years of contention and an especially scrutinous summer in the conservatorship case as Britney spoke out directly in court and accused her father of conservatorship abuse.
In August, Jamie slammed the attacks he's faced, adding that there were "no actual grounds for suspending" him from his role as estate conservator.
"As Mr. Spears has said again and again, all he wants is what is best for his daughter," the filing said at the time. "If Ms. Spears wants to terminate the conservatorship and believes that she can handle her own life, Mr. Spears believes that she should get that chance."
The August filing defended Jamie for helping Britney when she was "in crisis, desperately in need of help" after she was "suffering mentally and emotionally" and "being manipulated by predators" 13 years ago. (Spears was put under the conservatorship following a public mental health crisis in 2008.)
Ethan Miller/Getty Britney Spears
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Still, legal documents filed by Rosengart in September painted Jamie in a different light, and argued that life under his conservatorship was a "Kafkaesque nightmare" for Britney.
Britney spoke out openly during several court hearings over the summer, describing her conservatorship as abusive.
"Ma'am, my dad and anyone involved in this conservatorship and my management who played a huge role in punishing me — ma'am, they should be in jail," she told the court back in June. "I want changes going forward. I deserve changes. I was told I have to sit down and be evaluated, again, if I want to end the conservatorship. Ma'am, I didn't know I could [contest] the conservatorship. I'm sorry for my ignorance, but I honestly didn't know that."
The end of the conservatorship comes at a pivotal moment in Britney's life. In mid-September, she announced that her boyfriend Sam Asghari had proposed.
"Words can't even say how shocked I am ?? … geez although the asshole was way overdue ?? !!!!" Spears wrote about Asghari, 27. "It was definitely worth the wait."
