Britney Spears’ father, Jamie Spears has been suspended from the conservatorship that has controlled her life, career and finances since 2008. A Los Angeles judge, Brenda Perry made the decision today, which is being celebrated by the singer, CBS News is reporting
The judge’s choice to remove Jamie from his daughter’s conservatorship is considered to be a major victory for the pop star. She has asked to end her father’s involvement in the court-appointed arrangement throughout the summer.
Judge Perry agreed with a petition filed by Britney’s lawyer, Mathew Rosengart. During today’s court hearing, he revealed that “This suspension is directly what Britney wanted, she does not want Jamie in her life.” He added that removing Jamie from the arrangement would be the first step to “ending the Kafkaesque nightmare imposed upon by her father so that her dignity and basic liberties can be restored.”
A New York Times and FX documentary also helped the singer’s case at the hearing. In the film, a former employee of the security firm Black Box alleged that Jamie “ran an intense surveillance apparatus” that secretly captured audio recordings from his daughter’s bedroom. Those recordings feature interactions between Britney and her fiancé, Sam Asghari, and the pop star and her two teenage sons, who she shares custody of with her ex-husband,Kevin Federline. Jamie’s legal team has denied the allegation.
As a result, the judge appointed John Zabel, a certified public accountant, to serve as a temporary manager of the Grammy Award-winning musician’s finances. Judge Perry said Jamie’s suspension was in the the singer’s best interest, and that the ruling would not be able to be appealed by his legal team. The judge also denied a request from Jamie’s counsel to investigate Zabel, as the temporary appointment only requires a background check.
A hearing that will focus on whether the conservatorship should be terminated altogether was also scheduled for November 12.
After the hearing, Asghari celebrated the decision after the hearing ended. “Free Britney!” he wrote on Instagram. “Congratulations!!!!”
Outside of the courthouse, the pop star’s supporters cheered as the news was announced. Her fans also chanted “Free Britney” while singing her most popular songs.
Judge Perry’s decision to remove Jame from Britney’s conservatorship comes after the pop star made her first public comments in court in June. During that hearing, she testified that the arrangement was abusive and gave her father unprecedented control over her life, body and mental health.”This conservatorship is doing me way more harm than good,” Britney said in an emotional statement. “I’ve lied and told the whole world I’m OK and I’m happy — it’s a lie. I thought just maybe if I said that enough, maybe I might become happy because I’ve been in denial. I’ve been in shock. I am traumatized.”
