Jamie Spears removed from Britney Spears' conservatorship after 13 years
Britney Spears at a 2017 event in Beverly Hills, California. Photo: Scott Dudelson via Getty Images
A judge has officially removed Britney Spears' father from his 13-year-long role as conservator of her estate, multiple outlets reported Wednesday.
Why it matters: Spears has alleged that her father abused her repeatedly and dictated extreme restrictions on her body, finances, career and life. The legal battle spurred the #FreeBritney movement and resulted in greater scrutiny of conservatorships across the U.S.
Details: After a hearing on Wednesday, Los Angeles County Superior Court Judge Brenda Penny granted Spears' request to remove her father and appointed John Zabel, a public accountant nominated by the singer, to temporarily oversee her finances, per BuzzFeed News.
- Ending the arrangement "is in the best interest of the conservatee," said Penny, who called it "a toxic environment," according to Rolling Stone.
What's next: Penny is set to consider whether to pull the plug on the conservatorship. Spears' father petitioned the court to end the court-mandated arrangement in September.
- Though Spears' attorney Matthew Rosengart called the move a "massive" legal victory, "it appears that Mr. Spears believes he can try to avoid accountability and justice, including sitting for a sworn deposition and answering other discovery under oath," Rosengart said in a statement to CBS News.
- Rosengart is hoping the next hearing on the issue will result in access to private documents about the conservatorship that could paint a full picture of how Spears' father treated her, HuffPost reports.
Worth noting: Rosengart has also accused Spears' father of attempting to "extort" $2 million in exchange for stepping down from her conservatorship, according to Variety.
- Spears raised concerns about her father as early as 2014.
Editor's note: This article has been updated to include details of the next steps in Spears' case and further context.