Britney Spears is free.
After 13 years under an “abusive” conservatorship, Spears was finally released from the restrictive legal arrangement on Friday afternoon by a Los Angeles judge, who ruled in favor of terminating the conservatorship .
“The conservatorship of the person and estate of Britney Jean Spears is no longer required,” Judge Brenda Penny said.
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Shortly after the good news, Spears took to Instagram to celebrate her victory and to thank her loyal fans, who two years earlier had launched the rallying cry of “Free Britney” in 2019.
“Good God I love my fans so much it’s crazy,” Spears wrote, sharing a video of the celebration that broke out in streets outside the courthouse. “I think I’m gonna cry the rest of the day !!!! Best day ever. Praise the Lord, can I get an Amen.”
Following the hearing, Spears’ attorney Mathew Rosengart addressed the crowd and media, thanking Spears for her strength. “Britney Spears has helped shine the light not only on this conservatorship that was corrupted by [her father] Jamie Spears but she has shined a light on abuse in conservatorships and guardianship,” he said.
“What’s next for Britney, and this is the first time that this could be said for about a decade, is up to one person: Britney.”
But he also indicated the fight was not over just yet, pointing the finger at Jamie, who he claimed “corrupted this conservatorship.”
“The decision whether to investigate Jamie is ultimately up to my client Britney Spears,” he added.
Although Spears’ has been freed from the conservatorship for both her person and estate, certified public accountant John Zabel, who was appointed to help manage Spears' estimated $60 million estate after Jamie was suspended from his position in September, will continue working with her for the time being to help resolve any financial concerns.
It’s been a long time coming for the 39-year-old, who was initially placed under the conservatorship in 2008 after her family said they feared she was headed into a downward spiral. What was supposed to be only temporary became a permanent fixture of the pop legend’s life, as Spears detailed how every aspect of her life was controlled by her father Jamie Spears.
But the tides began to turn when legions of Spears’ devoted fans began clamoring for answers about Spears’ well-being when she suddenly called off her second Las Vegas residency and entered a psychiatric facility.
Then came the bombshell New York Times documentary Framing Britney Spears in February, which painted a damning picture of what was occurring behind the scenes.
Finally, Spears spoke for herself. In a surprise move at a conservatorship hearing in June, the mother-of-two spoke for 24 minutes about what her life has been like for the past 13 years, declaring that her father should be in jail for what he made her endure. “I’ve been in shock,” she told the court. “I am traumatized. I just want my life back.”
Slowly, Spears began to regain some control of her life and was able to hire her own attorney when Judge Penny ruled in her favor and suspended Jamie from the conservatorship.
The 69-year-old appeared to have done just about everything in his power to keep the conservatorship in place, continually insisting the arrangement was in Spears’ best interest, all while court documents showed him pocketing $16,000 a month from his position and taking home a sizable percentage of any business deals Spears made.
While Spears is out from under the conservatorship, there’s still the matter of the investigation into Jamie’s dealings as conservator, as Rosengart filed court papers in October that indicated he wanted to depose Jamie and had requested extensive information about Spears’ $60 million estate.
Rosengart also requested for Jamie to hand a trove of documents pertaining to any communications that Jamie had with members of his daughter’s security team, household staff, and her doctors, as well as to cough up any correspondence about Spears’ phone allegedly being monitored and a recording device being placed in her room.
The 110-page filing makes clear that Rosengart isn’t just going after Jamie, but any entities that profited off Spears’ multi-million-dollar estate. He seems to be particularly interested in the role Tri Star Sports & Entertainment Group—run by Spears’ longtime former business manager Lou Taylor—played in Spears’ estate.
And although Spears seems to be moving on with her life, getting engaged to her longtime boyfriend Sam Asghari, she still has some gripes with her other family members, including her mother Lynne Spears.
Last week, Lynne filed a petition seeking for Spears’ estate to pay $650,000 in her attorney fees for her role in the conservatorship. In a since-deleted Instagram post, People reported, Spears tore into her mother.
“Pssss my dad may have started the conservatorship 13 years ago,” Spears wrote. “But what people don't know is that my mom is the one who gave him the idea. I will never get those years back…She secretly ruined my life.”
It echoed earlier sentiments raised by Spears over the summer, when she said her father and “anyone involved in this conservatorship and my management who played a huge role in punishing me when I said no — ma’am, they should be in jail.”
“I would honestly like to sue my family, to be totally honest with you,” she added. “I also would like to be able to share my story with the world, and what they did to me, instead of it being a hush-hush secret to benefit all of them.”
