Judge Makes Final Ruling on Amanda Bynes' Conservatorship
Amanda Bynes' 9-year conservatorship is over. A California judge on Tuesday ruled to officially terminate the conservatorship of both her person and her estate, which was put in place under the actress' parents, Lynn and Rick Bynes, in late 2013. The ruling came during a scheduled hearing at the Ventura County Government Center Hall of Justice, during which the actress was not present, according to Variety. With her conservatorship terminated, Bynes will now have control over her finances and will be able to choose where she wants to live, how she wants to conduct her life and will have oversight over all day-to-day responsibilities.
The ruling came after Judge Roger L. Lund of Ventura County Superior Court signaled Monday that the conservatorship would end. In a tentative ruling, Lund wrote that the "grounds for the establishment of a conservatorship of the person no longer exist," adding that "the court intends to grant the petition for termination and order the conservatorship of the person of Amanda Bynes be terminated."
Although Bynes has not publicly commented on the ruling as of yet, David A. Esquibias, said in a statement to Entertainment Tonight just prior to the Tuesday hearing that Bynes and her team were "all excited and we're all anxiously looking forward to Amanda living a life as a private and normal citizen." Esquibias added that Bynes' parents have both been very supportive throughout the entire conservatorship, and have helped her work towards a positive transition into the real world, which was the goal from the beginning of the legal arrangement." Esquibias added, "besides normalcy as a person and a student, I know that she is looking forward to what her next step is going to be."
Bynes, who rose to fame as a child star on Nickelodeon's All That and as a teen went on to star in a number of hit films in the early 2000s, has been under a conservatorship for nearly a decade now. Her parents petitioned the court for the conservatorship in 2013 after Bynes allegedly started a small fire in the driveway of a Thousand Oaks home. Bynes was also on an involuntary psychiatric hold. Then in 2014, Bynes' mother was granted a full conservatorship, becoming her official conservator.
Nine years after the conservatorship was put in place, however, Bynes in late February filed a petition to end her legal conservatorship. In a statement to PEOPLE, Esquibias said Bynes "wishes to terminate her conservatorship. She believes her condition is improved and protection of the court is no longer necessary." The star's parents were supportive of the move, with sources recently telling ET that Bynes' "parents are very happy for her. They can't wait to see the next chapter of her life. They are excited at how well she is doing. They are ready to move forward and for the conservatorship to end as well."