Britney Spears’ Conservatorship Could Officially Be Ended Today

Britney Spears could officially have her conservatorship ended today, after years of having no legal control over many aspects of her life. Spears has a hearing on Friday, where she will learn the ruling of Los Angeles County Superior Court Judge Brenda Penny on a motion from Spears’ lawyer to have the conservatorship dissolved. NBC News reports that, if Penny rules to end the conservatorship, it will be the first time since 2008 that Spears has had autonomy over her over life, specifically regarding financial and medical decisions.

Spears’ new post comes after her father, Jamie Spears, was suspended as her conservator. In late September, Los Angeles County Superior Court Judge Brenda Penny — who has been overseeing Spears’ case — approved John Zabel C.P.A. to be the temporary conservator of Britney’s estate, as requested by her attorney, Mathew Rosengart. The judge cited a “toxic environment” as the basis for the decision, which she believes to be “in the best interest of Britney Spears,” per GMA. In response, Spears’ legal council criticized the choice by arguing that Spears does not believe Zabel is qualified to handle Britney’s estate.

“Respectfully, the court was wrong to suspend Mr. Spears, put a stranger in his place to manage Britney’s estate, and extend the very conservatorship that Britney begged the court to terminate earlier this summer,” the statement added. “Again, it was Mr. Spears who took the initiative to file the petition to terminate the conservatorship when neither Britney’s former court-appointed counsel nor her new privately-retained attorney would do so. It was Mr. Spears who asked the court at yesterday’s hearing to immediately terminate the conservatorship while Britney’s own attorney argued against it.”

Finally, the statement concluded, “Despite the suspension, Mr. Spears will continue to look out for the best interests of his daughter and work in good faith towards a positive resolution of all matters.” Jamie later reportedly sought to have the conservatorship dissolution be fast-tracked. In a statement on the move, his lawyers explained, “Jamie unconditionally loves and supports his daughter. Full stop. As he has done for her entire life, Jamie will do everything he can to protect and care for her. For the last 13 years, that included serving as her Conservator. Now, it means ending her Conservatorship.” At this time, there is no word on whether or not Judge Penny has handed down her ruling.