Britney Spears’ Conservatorship Finally Ends After 13 Years

Shola Lee

Published 22:10, 12 November 2021 GMT
| Last updated 22:12, 12 November 2021 GMT

Britney Spears' Conservatorship Finally Ends After 13 Years

Today’s hearing at Los Angeles probate court marked the end of Britney Spears’ 13-year long conservatorship, with LA County Superior Court Judge Brenda Penny ruling the controversial arrangement should be terminated.

Spears has been under the conservatorship – which the star herself branded as ‘abusive’ – since 2008, with her father Jamie appointed as her legal guardian at the time, before stepping down back in September.

Under the conservatorship, Jamie had control over the singer’s personal and financial affairs.

A conservatorship is a court granted guardianship for individuals unable to make their own decisions. It is typically reserved for dementia patients.

While under the conservatorship, Spears continued to work, including performing a four-year Las Vegas residency, working as an X-Factor judge and going on tour.

This led many to question the validity of the conservatorship and in 2009 the #FreeBritney movement started on a fan site.

Since then, the movement has gained traction, with celebrities like Miley Cyrus and Cher supporting the #FreeBritney campaign.

In 2019, concern for the singer grew after Spears postponed her second Las Vegas residency ‘Domination’, to check into a mental health treatment centre.

Some claimed that she was being held at the treatment centre against her will, which led to #FreeBritney protests outside of the West Hollywood City Hall, calling for an end to the conservatorship.

The case reached a turning point at a hearing on June 23, 2021, where the singer was allowed to address the court uninterrupted.

Spears told the court how she ‘just wants her life back’.

She went on to say:

I’ve been in denial. I’ve been in shock. I am traumatised.

Following the hearing, Spears’ long-appointed lawyer Samuel D. Ingham III resigned and she was, for the first time, allowed to hire her own lawyer, Mathew S. Rosengart.

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A post shared by Sam Asghari (@samasghari)

Ahead of today’s hearing, the Piece of Me singer showed her support for the movement by donning a #FreeBritney shirt in an Instagram post shared by her fiancé Sam Asghari.

The decision to end the conservatorship has been a long time coming for Spears, fans and supporters of the #FreeBritney movement. In part, this is due to the lengthy legal process associated with ending a conservatorship.

To end a conservatorship, a judge must find that the conservatee has the capacity to regain control of their personal and financial affairs.

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Topics: Celebrity, #FreeBritney, Britney Spears, Conservatorship, Jamie Spears, Los Angeles