A judge dismissed Britney Spears’ father, Jamie Spears, from being the conservator of the pop star’s estate during a hearing in Los Angeles Wednesday. While it replaced him as the controller, the court is expected to consider ending the conservatorship altogether before the end of the year.
Superior Court Judge Brenda Penny said her father’s control reflected “a toxic environment.” Jamie Spears served as the head of the singer’s estate for the last 13 years.
“The current situation is untenable. It reflects a toxic environment which requires the suspension of James Spears,” Judge Penny said.
The court appointed an accountant, John Zabel, selected by Britney and her lawyer as the new conservator.
Britney Spears did not participate in the hearing, but nearly 100 fans rallied outside the courthouse in Los Angeles. Over the summer, Spears delivered emotional testimony describing the arrangement as “abusive.”
During Wednesday’s hearing, Britney’s attorney Matthew Rosengard described her father as a “Curel, toxic, abusive man.”
In court filings this week, Rosengard accused Jamie Spears of “illegally” surveilling her and monitoring her communications. A New York Times documentary released this week revealed details of those allegations.
“We learned Mr. Spears did something unfathomable. He instructed [the] security team, paid for by my client, to place a listening device in Britney’s bedroom,” Rosengard said.
Jamie Spears’ lawyer dismissed the allegations as persuasion tactics.
“It’s not evidence, it’s rhetoric,” attorney Vivian Thoreen said in court Wednesday.
Jamie Spears had served as the conservator of Britney’s person until a court replaced him in September 2019, leaving him in control of Britney’s finances. That conservatorship is still in effect.
The court scheduled another hearing for Nov. 12 to decide whether to grant Britney Spears' request to end the conservatorship altogether.
After the hearing, the singer’s attorney thanked fans outside of the courthouse.
“It's been a lot of hard work, it's been intense. I'm proud, Britney's proud. I think the support of the #FreeBritney movement has been instrumental,” Rosengard said. “To the extent that it allowed my firm to carry the ball across the finish line, I thank them as well.”
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