Britney Spears' 13-Year Conservatorship Ends After Judge's Court Approval: 'Hereby Terminated'

Nov 13, 2021 by apost team

After nearly 14 years of living under a restrictive conservatorship that controlled her life and fortune, Britney Spears is finally free.

“As of today, the conservatorship of the person and estate of Britney Jean Spears is hereby terminated,” Judge Brenda Penny said on Nov. 12, according to the Associated Press.

The #FreeBritney movement has been circulating for years on various social media platforms, with fans urging anyone close to the pop star to help her with her legal issues surrounding her personal life and career. The movement reached a new wave of supporters after the 2021 documentary “Framing Britney Spears” was released. The film depicted how much Spears has been struggling to get legal control over her own life, as her father was her conservator, meaning that he had legal control over the majority of her assets and life decisions.

#FreeBritney supporters were ecstatic on Friday when Judge Penny announced the end of Spears’ conservatorship at the Stanley Mosk Courthouse in Los Angeles. According to AP, a crowd of supporters sang along to the pop star’s song “Stronger” while also chanting, “Britney! Britney! Britney!”

Spears took to Twitter to share her reaction.

“Good God I love my fans so much it’s crazy!!! I think I’m gonna cry the rest of the day!!!! Best day ever … praise the Lord … can I get an Amen???” the 39-year-old musician wrote.

As the #FreeBritney movement gained mainstream popularity this year, Spears has seen an outpouring of support from stars like Dolly Parton and Lance Bass of NSYNC — not to mention her fans online.

According to the BBC, Britney’s father worked with lawyers in 2008 to establish the conservatorship, which effectively made Jamie and his lawyer in charge of many of the 39-year-old singer’s decisions and her finances. At the time, Britney had a public breakdown, which precipitated the restrictive legal arrangement.

However, Britney argues that Jamie had abused the powers of the conservatorship.

During a 24-minute-long testimony that she gave in front of a probate judge at the end of June, she accused her conservators of forcing her to perform against her will, making her take mood-stabilizing drugs and keeping her on birth control despite her wishes to have another baby.

Variety published her words in full. She declared, "I’m not here to be anyone’s slave." She added:

"I’ve lied and told the whole world 'I’m OK and I'm happy.' It's a lie. I thought I 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 … I’m so angry it’s insane. And I'm depressed. I cry every day."

The fact that Spears has also led a successful career since her 2008 breakdown also called conservatorship into question. Over the past decade, the pop star has traveled extensively, accepted awards, judged contestants on the reality TV show “X Factor” and held a residency in Los Vegas.

Not only did her busy schedule and Spears’ speech solidify her fans’ support, but it also seems to have accelerated the legal process. On July 15, a judge ruled that Britney can choose her own lawyer in the fight to end her conservatorship — a freedom that was only just now allowed to her for the first time in 13 years.

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This news came as a welcome change for the singer, who had been dealt a devastating blow after a judge initially denied her request to end her controversial conservatorship that gives her father, Jamie, control over her estate and life.

In September, according to AP, the Judge suspended Jamie’s control, arguing that he created a “toxic environment.”

However, the AP reports that this isn’t the end of Spears’ conservatorship saga. Spears’ lawyer, Mathew Rosengart, plans to pursue an investigation of Jamie’s role as conservator, looking into his mismanagement of his daughter’s finances. Similarly, Rosengart urged law enforcement to look into reports that the pop star’s room was bugged.

Jamie has lawyered up in response to these allegations, hiring Alex Weingarten, who, according to the AP, specializes in the sort of litigation that Spears’ father may face. 

Variety reports that additional hearings have been scheduled for Dec. 8 and Jan. 19, and that accountant John Zabel has “limited and administrative power” as part of the conservatorship’s termination plan. The details of the termination plan are confidential, but Spears’s temporary conservator — who replaced Jamie after his dismissal in September — will continue to play a role in the star’s life.

“Ms. Montgomery will stay in her life; Ms. Montgomery will be there for her. Ms. Spears can live a safe, happy, fulfilling life after this conservatorship,” Rosengart said on Friday.

Fans were overjoyed on Friday, with many offering their support on social media.

“The world's yours, Britney! They tried to break you, but they didn't know just much fight you had in you. You deserve all the happiness you can get out of life, queen Red heart Congratulations!!!!” Bruna de Lara wrote on Twitter.

What do you think of Britney's conservatorship? Did you think she and her lawyers would be successful? Let us know — and be sure to pass this news on.