Britney Spears conservatorship battle: Pop singer wins against father after 13 years

A Los Angeles judge dismissed Britney Spears' father from his contentious role as his daughter's guardian on Wednesday, bringing the pop princess's lengthy and acrimonious legal fight to a conclusion.

Jamie Spears was suspended with immediate effect and replaced with a temporary conservator "in the best interests" of the singer, according to Judge Brenda Penny. A hearing to terminate the guardianship is scheduled for before the end of the year. "Mr Spears has been ordered to surrender over all conservatorship assets," Penny added.

Spears' father has had total control over her life for the last 13 years, due to a controversial legal arrangement that the 39-year-old US singer has described as "abusive" and that her attorneys have asked to have dissolved.

Dozens of fans had gathered outside a Los Angeles courtroom ahead of the hearing. Many held colourful banners with messages such as "Jail Jamie" and the familiar "Free Britney" cry, which her followers have taken up on social media across the world.

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The decision came after Spears' lawyer, Mathew Rosengart, submitted a request to have her father removed from the case.
"Every day that he is conservator — every day and every hour — he brings misery and sorrow to his daughter," the petition claimed.
A New York Times video aired Friday appears to have supported accusations that Jamie Spears had surveillance devices covertly put in his daughter's bedroom to capture her chats.

Spears' attorneys accused her father of attempting to postpone the termination of the guardianship for his own financial gain in their own petition. According to the petition, his actions are "a ruse meant to escape the stigma of suspension and its repercussions, including the possibility of disgorgement and rejection of unpaid legal expenses," according to the petition.

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Meanwhile, according to US media reports, Jamie Spears has criticised his daughter's choice of a new interim conservator to replace him, claiming that certified public accountant John Zabel has the requisite experience.

In response, Spears' attorneys claim her father was "never competent to serve," citing claims of his "documented drunkenness" and "pain he inflicted his daughter since her youth" in their plea.