Britney Spears' conservatorship is finally coming to an end.
Los Angeles County Superior Court Judge Brenda Penny announced the termination of the conservatorship on Friday, Nov. 12. Both the conservatorship of the estate and person are ending. Britney did not attend the hearing, where E! News was present.
"Effective today, the conservatorship of Britney Jean Spears, the person and the estate, is hereby terminated," the judge said.
No medical evaluation will be needed and all parties consented to the decision. The judge gave two procedural conditions relating to the financial handover from the current conservator of her estate, which will be addressed in a hearing on Dec. 8. They do not impede today's decision.
Following the hearing, Britney's attorney, Mathew Rosengart, spoke outside the courthouse to explain how the conditions that will be addressed next month: "What that means is we have set up a financial safety net for Britney, in terms of a new trust. All of the assets that are outside of the existing trust will be transferred by the existing conservator of the estate… into that trust."
He added, "I'm so proud of her. I thank her. I thank her for her courage and voice and power... We believe it was the right result."
The move comes weeks after her attorney reiterated in an Oct. 28 court filing that "the time has come for Ms. Spears's freedom."
"Ms. Spears has made her wishes known about ending the conservatorship she has endured for so long and she has pleaded with the Court to 'let her have her life back,' without an evaluation, recently attending two Court hearings and asking this Court directly to end the conservatorship," he wrote in the documents. "It is respectfully submitted—with the consent of all parties—that the time has come."
Britney's father, Jamie Spears, also expressed his support for ending the conservatorship in a report filed by his legal team on Nov. 2. He'd served as conservator of her estate for 13 years and fought against his removal from the position in an August opposition before then filing a petition for termination of the conservatorship in September.
Jamie was suspended from the role of conservator of the estate later that month, with Britney's lawyer calling it a "massive" legal victory for the singer. At the time, certified public accountant John Zabel was appointed temporary conservator of her estate.
"Jamie unconditionally loves and supports his daughter. Full stop," Jamie's legal team wrote in the November report. "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."
In a June hearing, Britney spoke out about the conservatorship, calling it "abusive" and asking for it to end without further psychological evaluation.
"I just want my life back," she said, per a transcript published by Variety. "And it's been 13 years. And it's enough. It's been a long time since I've owned my money. And it's my wish and my dream for all of this to end without being tested."
Her attorney has also accused Jamie of "financial mismanagement and other issues" related to Britney's estate and has pledged to look into these allegations. However, Jamie's lawyers wrote in the August filing that he "has dutifully and faithfully served as the conservator of his daughter's estate without any blemishes on his record."
Britney was placed under the conservatorship in 2008 following her 2007 public breakdown, and Jamie and Andrew M. Wallet were appointed co-conservators of Britney's estate. Andrew resigned from the position in 2019, making Jamie the sole conservator of the Grammy winner's estate. Jamie also took on the role of conservator of Britney's person in 2008. However, he stepped down from the position in 2019, and Jodi Montgomery was appointed to the role.
The #FreeBritney movement and 2021 New York Times documentary Framing Britney Spears have been credited with bringing renewed attention to the case. On the day of the hearing, Britney's fiancé Sam Asghari posted pictures of the couple wearing #FreeBritney T-shirts.
"#FreeBritney movement … I have no words … because of you guys and your constant resilience in freeing me from my conservatorship … my life is now in that direction !!!!!" the "Gimme More" star tweeted last month. "I cried last night for two hours cause my fans are the best and I know it."
Now, Britney is ready to move forward. "Britney is very excited to embrace her full freedom," a source close to Sam recently told E! News. "She wants a new life with Sam and wants to make many changes. She is excited to move on and close that chapter of her life."