Britney Spears is free after judge ends pop star's conservatorship
CBC
A California judge has terminated the conservatorship that has controlled pop superstar Britney Spears's life and money for nearly 14 years.
The decision capped a stunning five-month odyssey that saw Spears publicly demand the end of the conservatorship, hire her own attorney, have her father removed from power and finally win the freedom to make her own medical, financial and personal decisions for the first time since 2008.
"As of today, the conservatorship of the person and estate of Britney Jean Spears is hereby terminated," Superior Court Judge Brenda Penny said.
Jubilation erupted outside the courthouse, with fans cheering and shouting after the decision was announced. The crowd chanted "Britney! Britney! Britney!" while singing and dancing to her song Stronger.
The move by Penny was expected, with little support left for prolonging the legal arrangement. But the judge had offered no clear signals about what she would decide. As recently as last spring, it appeared that the conservatorship could continue for years. Then it unraveled with surprising speed.
Key to that unraveling was a speech Spears made at a hearing in June when she passionately described the restrictions and scrutiny of her life as "abusive." She demanded that the conservatorship end without any prying evaluation of her mental state.
Legal experts at the time said that was unlikely to happen, and would represent a departure from common court practice.
But a judge allowed her to hire an attorney of her choice, Mathew Rosengart, at a July hearing in which she again complained about the grief the conservatorship caused and demanded that it end.
Rosengart made it his goal first to have James Spears removed from his role as conservator of his daughter's finances before working to end the conservatorship altogether.
The judge suspended James Spears from the conservatorship at a September hearing, citing the "toxic environment" his presence created.
But more courtroom battles could lie ahead.
Rosengart has further vowed to pursue an investigation of James Spears's role in his daughter's conservatorship. He said he and his team have found mismanagement of the pop star's finances, suggesting she could pursue further legal action. Court records put her net worth at about $60 million US.
He also said that law enforcement should investigate revelations in a New York Times documentary about a listening device placed in Britney Spears's bedroom.
James Spears's attorneys said Rosengart's allegations ranged from unsubstantiated to impossible, and that he only ever acted in his daughter's best interest.
