Jamie Spears, the father of pop singer Britney Spears, filed a petition in court on Tuesday, requesting the judge to terminate his daughter's 13-year conservatorship.
Jamie was meant to stand down as conservator of Britney's estate at a court hearing on September 29, but now he wants to speed up the process and stop the long-running conservatorship entirely. For the first time in 13 years, Britney Spears will have complete authority over her life, finances, and health care decisions after a lengthy court fight.
The singer's conservatorship began in 2008 after she publicly had multiple mental breakdowns. For more than a decade, her father was both a conservator of her estate and a manager of her. However owing to his health difficulties, Jamie temporarily stood down as manager of her person in 2019. For the past two years, Jodi Montgomery has been filling in for him, Big News Network reported.
Britney Spears' lawyer claims Jamie tries to avoid being vindicated
Jamie now believes that his daughter "should receive that chance" to manage her affairs, according to a petition filed with probate judge Brenda Penny on Tuesday. Britney Spears' new lawyer, Mathew Rosengart, filed an official court petition on July 26 to have Jamie removed as conservator of her estate.
Rosengart has been putting a lot of pressure on Jamie since he was chosen as Britney's lawyer, accusing him of misusing his authority and "dissipating her estate." Jamie had volunteered to step down as conservator of his daughter's estate, according to the August 12 court document, but only when a negotiated solution could be achieved.
The petition is viewed as another legal win for Britney Spears, but with a caveat: "This filing marks another legal victory for Britney Spears - a big one - as well as vindication for Ms. Spears," according to a statement issued to Variety writer Elizabeth Wagmeister. Britney claimed she wanted her father charged with conservatorship abuse during the same hearing in July when the judge determined that she would be free to choose her new lawyer.
When Rosengart was appointed as Britney Spears' new legal representative, he began making official demands for Jamie's removal and replacement as conservator of her financial assets, while insisting that the current co-conservator, Jodi Montgomery, be retained.
Fans celebrate following the announcement of the petition
Jamie sought to barter suspension and expulsion in return for roughly $2 million, according to a fresh appeal filed by Rosengart last week, as per Business Insider. Rosengart's filing mentioned the condition of "blanket immunity," which might be pertinent to his new claims that Jami "believes he can try to dodge blame and justice by ending the conservatorship rather than resigning from his present post as co-conservator.
The next hearing in the conservatorship case is set for September 29, at which time the court is anticipated to rule on Rosengart's motion to have Jamie Spears removed from the case. For the time being, it's unclear if Jamie's latest petition to terminate the conservatorship will be addressed.
Fans of Britney Spears rejoiced on Tuesday as the singer's father requested that her tumultuous conservatorship be lifted. Although Britney Spears had not publicly commented on the petition as of Tuesday evening, her lawyer Matthew Rosengart stated in a statement that the filing "represents a significant legal win as well as vindication" for Spears.
The announcement was warmly celebrated by the singer's supporters, many of whom have long campaigned for the termination of the 13-year conservatorship as part of the "Free Britney" movement, Newsweek via MSN reported.
Related Article: Britney Spears Accuses Father of Attempting to Extort $2 Million Before Stepping Down as Conservator; Lawyers Put Jamie on Notice
