Britney Spears hearing: Jamie Spears suspended as conservator
Judge has ruled to suspend Jamie Spears from his role with immediate effect
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Your support makes all the difference.A judge has ruled to suspend Britney Spears’s father from the conservatorship that has controlled her business and personal affairs for 13 years.
On Wednesday 29 September, Judge Brenda Penny was pressed to make major decisions on whether to end the conservatorship at Los Angeles Superior Court, or – if the system remains in place – whether her father James Spears should remain as his daughter’s conservator.
Judge Penny ruled to suspend Jamie from the conservatorship. Ahead of the hearing, Spears said she wanted the conservatorship to end and for her father to no longer oversee it.
Her attorney Mathew Rosengart, whom Spears was allowed to hire in July, has aggressively pushed for Jamie Spears to be removed from the conservatorship. Rosengart previously requested an emergency hearing on the issue, but Penny ruled that it could wait until this week.
A further hearing will take place later this year to petition to end the conservatorship completely.
The liveblog is now closed.
Britney Spears’s attorney Mathew Rosengart is believed to have arrived to the LA courthouse where the hearing is taking place.
Journalists aren’t allowed to use electronics inside the courtroom, meaning we can expect periodic updates.
The hashtag #FreeBritney, the rallying cry of Britney Spears’s supporters, is trending in the US as the hearing begins.
As a reminder, two main questions are expected to be addressed during today’s hearing: whether to end the conservatorship altogether, and if not, whether Britney Spears’s father James Spears (also known to the public as Jamie) should remain as conservator of her business decisions.
Here are images of Britney Spears’s supporters gathering outside the LA courthouse ahead of today’s hearing:
Some updates from the hearing are now coming in
Erin Lee Carr, the director of recent documentary Britney Vs Spears says she is hearing reports “that they are ‘asking for termination of Jamie conservatorship today with a follow up trial in 30-45 days to reassess conservatorship as a whole.”
Carr followed this up with news that Rosengart has reportedly said on record that “Britney wants a suspension of Jamie Spears” today, from his role as conservator.
ITV’s Emma Murphy who is at the hearing is also reporting that Britney’s lawyer has demanded an “immediate suspension of her father from conservatorship-accused him of abusing her not just in last 13 yrs but since childhood.”
Murphy continued: “However [Britney’s] lawyers say they will not accept father’s request for immediate cancellation of conservatorship because they say he is trying to avoid full scale of abuse being made public.”
You can see the Tweet thread below:
Britney’s lawyers slam claims of father’s “unfathomable” decision to “ eavesdrop” on her conversations
Britney’s lawyers have described their “shock” at revelations that Jamie allegedly spied on his daughter’s communications, something that was a focus in this week’s Britney Vs Spears documentary.
ITV’s Emma Murphy who is at the hearing reports that Britney’s lawyer is describing their shock at the claims and the alleged “unfathomable” decision to “eavesdrop on her most intimate communications with children, boyfriend and lawyer”.
You can read more about exactly what the claims are against Jamie here:
Britney Spears’ lawyer calls her father a ‘reported alcoholic and gambling addict
Singer has filed to immediately suspend her father from her conservatorship
#FreeBritney movement heard outside court
The many fans from the #freeBritney movement can be currently heard chanting outside court: “Free Britney now” and “do the right thing” which is aimed at Judge Brenda Penny who is overseeing today’s hearing and will ultimately decide what happens to Britney’s conservatorship next.
You can see some of the images from outside the court here:
Britney’s lawyer fighting hard for the removal of Jamie as conservator
There are tight reporting restrictions in place for journalists at the hearing, with only a handful of reporters allowed inside.
One of those is now reporting that Britney’s lawyer, Matthew Rosengart has just told the judge “that if Jamie Spears loved his daughter he would do what she asks.”
And that of course, is his removal from the conservatorship which has controlled almost every aspect of her life for the last 13 years.
Other reports suggest that if the conservatorship is terminated today, Jamie will “fully comply” with requirements with his lawyer, Vivian Thoreen, reportedly saying that “he is still Britney’s father besides everything else.”
One report also says that Britney’s lawyer interrupted at this point saying: “It’s about what she wants! Sorry your honour.”
You can see some of these reports here from those allowed inside the hearing.
Britney’s father suspended as conservator from today
Reports are now coming in that Jamie Spears’ conservatorship over his daughter has been suspended from today.
ITV’s Emma Murphy tweeting from the hearing has just shared on Twitter: “Jamie Spears suspended as #britney cnservator effective today.”
She added: “This is exactly what #britney team wanted. Jamie Spears and his lawyers will now have to hand over their documents detailing last 13 years.” You can see the tweets here: