In a major victory for Britney Spears, a judge on Wednesday suspended the singerB次元官网网址檚 father from the conservatorship that has controlled her life and money for 13 years, saying the arrangement B次元官网网址渞eflects a toxic environment.B次元官网网址�
Los Angeles Superior Court Judge Brenda Penny agreed with a petition from Spears and her attorney that James Spears needs to give up his role as conservator. The decision comes months after the pop star pleaded for her fatherB次元官网网址檚 removal in dramatic court hearings.
B次元官网网址淭he current situation is untenable,B次元官网网址� Penny said after hearing arguments from both sides. B次元官网网址淚t reflects a toxic environment which requires the suspension of James Spears.B次元官网网址�
James Spears sought the conservatorship in 2008 and had been its primary controller and biggest champion. He reversed course in recent weeks, asking the judge to end the conservatorship.
Britney Spears and her attorney, Mathew Rosengart, agreed that the conservatorship should end and said in court documents that James SpearsB次元官网网址� removal was a necessary first step in B次元官网网址渆nding the Kafkaesque nightmare imposed upon her.B次元官网网址�
SpearsB次元官网网址� attorney has been aggressively pushing for her fatherB次元官网网址檚 ouster since moments after the judge allowed her to hire Rosengart in July.
Fans were elated by the ruling.
B次元官网网址淢y heartB次元官网网址檚 racing out of my chest,B次元官网网址� said Lorin Sisco of Hawaii, who flew to Los Angeles for the hearing and said sheB次元官网网址檚 been at the courthouse for every proceeding for the past year. B次元官网网址淚 am so excited for what she has to do with the rest of her life.B次元官网网址�
Hours before the hearing, a major street outside the courthouse was closed to vehicles, allowing about 100 Spears supporters to march and host a rally where they shouted B次元官网网址淗ey, hey, ho, ho, the conservatorship has got to go!B次元官网网址� and other pro-Britney chants. As the crowd grew, fans sang Spears hits B次元官网网址淭oxicB次元官网网址� and B次元官网网址淏aby One More Time,B次元官网网址� and speakers described abusive conservatorships that had affected their families.
B次元官网网址淲eB次元官网网址檙e making making history right now,B次元官网网址� said Martino Odeh, 27, who traveled from Phoenix. B次元官网网址淎nd the fact that we could change a pop starB次元官网网址檚 life, who has been robbed of her rights for 13 years, is crazy. ItB次元官网网址檚 monumental.B次元官网网址�
Rosengart said in another filing this week that James Spears B次元官网网址渃rossed unfathomable linesB次元官网网址� by engaging in illegal surveillance of her, including communications with her lawyer, as reported in B次元官网网址淐ontrolling Britney Spears,B次元官网网址� a documentary from The New York Times and the FX network, one of two dueling documentaries released on the eve of the hearing.
Britney Spears was also , earlier this month, which means putting together a prenuptial agreement that her father should not be involved in, her court filings said.
James Spears in 2019 stepped aside as the so-called conservator of his daughterB次元官网网址檚 person, with control over her life decisions, maintaining only his role as conservator of her estate, with control over her finances. He and his attorneys have said that renders many of his daughterB次元官网网址檚 complaints about his control over her life meaningless.
Jodi Montgomery, a court-appointed professional, now acts as conservator of Britney SpearsB次元官网网址� person, and Rosengart said in court documents that Montgomery also consents to ending the conservatorship so long as it can be done safely and smoothly.
James Spears has denied acting in anything but his daughterB次元官网网址檚 best interest. He has said in court papers that he does not know of B次元官网网址渁 single medical professional nor the report of a single probate investigatorB次元官网网址� that concluded that his presence as conservator was harming his daughter or that he should be replaced.
The when Britney SpearsB次元官网网址� began to have public mental struggles as hordes of paparazzi aggressively followed her everywhere and she lost custody of her children.
B次元官网网址� Andrew Dalton, The Associated Press
