Spears ‘on cloud nine’ after father suspended from conservatorship
LOS ANGELES – The conservatorship that has controlled the life of Britney Spears for 13 years neared a possible end on Wednesday after a judge suspended her father, and the US pop superstar said later that she was “on cloud 9 right now”.
At a contentious three-hour hearing, Los Angeles Superior Court Judge Brenda Penny removed Jamie Spears from oversight of his daughter’s US$60 million estate and set a November date to discuss whether to terminate the entire arrangement.
In an Instagram post following the judge’s ruling, the 39-year-old posted a video showing her seated next to a pilot in the cockpit of a small plane and maneuvering the controls.
“First time flying a plane and first time in a prop plane !!! Geez I was scared,” she wrote, without mentioning the conservatorship.
In court, Penny removed Jamie Spears from his role after the singer’s attorney said she did not want him involved for even one more day.
“The current situation is not tenable. It reflects a toxic environment which requires the suspension of Jamie Spears, effective today,” Penny said.
The judge said she would hold a hearing on Nov 12 to discuss a petition to terminate the conservatorship that controls Spears’ business and personal affairs.
She had been struggling for years to get free of the legal arrangement. She did not take part in Wednesday’s hearing.
“It’s a great day for Britney Spears and it’s a great day for justice,” her attorney Mathew Rosengart told #FreeBritney fans gathered outside the Los Angeles courthouse.
“Britney Spears has been faced with a decade-long nightmare, a Kafkaesque nightmare, orchestrated by her father and others,” he said.
Jamie Spears will be replaced by an accountant, John Zabel, on a temporary basis, Penny said.
Rosengart said he envisaged an orderly transition in which the conservatorship could end before the close of the year.
“It’s simple, it’s logical, it’s fair, it’s just,” he told the judge.
Two weeks ago, Spears announced her engagement to Sam Asghari, 27, her personal trainer boyfriend of more than four years. The pair hope to marry after negotiating a pre-nuptial agreement.
“Free Britney! Congratulations !!!!” Asghari wrote on his Instagram account after the hearing. - REUTERS
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