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 At a contentious three-hour
hearing, Los Angeles Superior Court Judge Brenda
Penny removed Jamie Spears from oversight of his
daughter's $60 million estate and set a November
date to discuss whether to terminate the entire
arrangement.
In an Instagram post following the judge's
ruling, the "Stronger" singer posted video
showing her seated next to a pilot in the
cockpit of a small plane and maneuvering the
controls.
"First time flying a plane and first time in a
prop plane !!! Geez I was scared," she wrote,
without mentioning the conservatorship.
In court, Penny removed Jamie Spears from his
role after the singer's attorney said she did
not want him involved for even one more day.
"The current situation is not tenable. It
reflects a toxic environment which requires the
suspension of Jamie Spears, effective today,"
Penny said.
The judge said she would hold a hearing on Nov.
12 to discuss a petition to terminate the
conservatorship that controls Britney Spears'
business and personal affairs.
Britney Spears, now 39, has been struggling for
years to get free of the legal arrangement. She
did not take part in Wednesday's hearing.
"It's a great day for Britney Spears and it's a
great day for justice," the singer's attorney
Mathew Rosengart told #FreeBritney fans gathered
outside the Los Angeles courthouse.
"Britney Spears has been faced with a
decade-long nightmare, a Kafkaesque nightmare,
orchestrated by her father and others,"
Rosengart said.
Jamie Spears will be replaced by an accountant,
John Zabel, on a temporary basis, Penny said.
"IT'S LOGICAL, IT'S FAIR"
#FreeBritney fans erupted in cheers as the
judge's ruling was conveyed. Pop singer Cher
tweeted, "I'm more than thrilled 4 her. Bless
our super star."
Jamie Spears had been in charge of his
daughter's business affairs since 2008, when he
put in place a wide-ranging, court-approved
conservatorship after she suffered a mental
breakdown. The details of Britney Spears' mental
health have never been revealed.
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 Rosengart said he envisaged an
orderly transition in which the conservatorship
could end before the close of the year. “It’s
simple, it’s logical, it’s fair, it’s just,” he
told the judge. Ironically, it
was Jamie Spears who earlier in September
reversed years of objections and abruptly called
for the conservatorship to end. But he argued
that he should remain in his role to smooth the
transition.
Rosengart, however, demanded that Jamie Spears
be suspended immediately.
"According to Britney Spears, his service has
been abusive, it’s been toxic and it’s been
cruel,” he said.
 A New York
Times documentary released last week alleged
that the singer's phone and bedroom were bugged
by security staff working for her father.
Conversations with friends, her children and her
previous lawyer were monitored, a former
security staffer said.
Jamie Spears has said his actions were within
his authority as conservator. "Mr. Spears has
faithfully and loyally served as a
court-appointed conservator for 13 years. His
record is impeccable," his attorney Vivian
Thoreen said on Wednesday.
Spears stepped up her efforts in June to break
free of the conservatorship, telling the judge
in her first public comments that she wanted her
life back.
Public support, helped by three documentaries,
has swelled.
Two weeks ago Britney Spears announced her
engagement to Sam Asghari, 27, her personal
trainer boyfriend of more than four years. The
pair hope to marry after negotiating a
pre-nuptial agreement.
"Free Britney! Congratulations !!!!" Asghari
wrote on his Instagram account after the
hearing.
(Reporting by Lisa Richwine; Writing by Jill
Serjeant; Editing by Richard Chang, Cynthia
Osterman and Leslie Adler)
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