Britney Spears’ conservatorship has been terminated after 13 years. The decision on Friday capped a stunning five-month odyssey that saw Spears publicly demand the end of the conservatorship, hire her own lawyer, have her father removed from the arrangement and finally win the freedom to make her own medical, financial and personal decisions for the first time since 2008.
The 39-year-old “Piece of Me” singer had begged the court for months to terminate the conservatorship that has governed her personal life and $60 million estates since 2008.
Spears did not attend Friday’s hearing but said in an Instagram post, “I love my fans so much it’s crazy!!! I think I’m gonna cry the rest of the day !!!! Best day ever.”
Outside the courthouse, dozens of fans erupted into cheers and tossed pink confetti into the air when they heard the news. Some danced and sang to her hit “Stronger.”
“It was a monumental day for Britney Spears,” the pop star’s attorney, said outside the courthouse. He thanked the #FreeBritney movement which he said had been essential to ending the legal arrangement.
The conservatorship was set up and overseen by the singer’s father, Jamie Spears after she had a public breakdown in 2007 and was hospitalized for undisclosed mental health
issues.
Interest in the case was propelled in the past year by documentaries and the #FreeBritney movement of fans who questioned why the singer needed such restrictions
while she was touring around the world and earning millions of dollars.
Lauriann Wright, the attorney for Jodi Montgomery, who had been entrusted with overseeing Spears’ personal life, told the judge there was “no reason this termination cannot happen and Ms. Spears cannot live a safe, happy and fulfilling life.”
Rosengart said a “safety net” had been put in place to help Spears transition back to regular life. Judge Penny added that the current conservator should continue working to settle ongoing financial issues in the case. “I’m shaking,” Leanne Simmons, a fan and one of the organizers of the still hasn’t sunk in to hear those words, ‘The conservatorship has been terminated.’ Britney is a free woman.”
The Spears case helped prompt hearings in the U.S. Congress and a new law in California aimed at preventing abusive conservatorships, which are normally set up to protect disabled people, the elderly, or those suffering from dementia.
