Britney Spears' father Jamie speaks out after being suspended from conservatorship: 'The court was wrong'

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Jamie Spears has released a statement following his suspension from Britney’s conservatorship on Wednesday.

In a statement shared with Fox News via his attorney, Vivian L. Thoreen, on Thursday, the singer’s father said: “Mr. Spears loves his daughter Britney unconditionally. For thirteen years, he has tried to do what is in her best interests, whether as a conservator or her father. This started with agreeing to serve as her conservator when she voluntarily entered into the conservatorship. This included helping her revive her career and re-establish a relationship with her children.  For anyone who has tried to help a family member dealing with mental health issues, they can appreciate the tremendous amount of daily worry and work this required.  

“For Mr. Spears, this also meant biting his tongue and not responding to all the false, speculative, and unsubstantiated attacks on him by certain members of the public, media, or more recently, Britney’s own attorney. These facts make the outcome of yesterday’s hearing all the more disappointing, and frankly, a loss for Britney. Respectfully, the court was wrong to suspend Mr. Spears, put a stranger in his place to manage Britney’s estate, and extend the very conservatorship that Britney begged the court to terminate earlier this summer. 

“Again, it was Mr. Spears who took the initiative to file the petition to terminate the conservatorship when neither Britney’s former court-appointed counsel nor her new privately-retained attorney would do so.  It was Mr. Spears who asked the court at yesterday’s hearing to immediately terminate the conservatorship while Britney’s own attorney argued against it,” the statement concluded.

Judge Brenda Penny, who oversees the conservatorship case, handed down the ruling ousting Jamie as conservator of her estate in a bombshell court hearing in Los Angeles on Wednesday. Speaking to reporters after the “Toxic” singer’s victory, her attorney, Mathew Rosengart, said: “I think you can assume she’s very happy.”

Britney Spears scored a victory in court on Wednesday when a judge suspended her father from the conservatorship.
(Steve Jennings/WireImage)

Rosengart added that “the goal” is to free Britney from her conservatorship altogether before she turns 40 on Dec. 2.

“Suspension is in the best interests of Britney Spears,” Judge Penny told the court en masse. “The current situation is not tenable,” she added.

The judge also ordered control of all of Britney’s assets to be turned over to a court-appointed temporary conservator – a certified public accountant named John Zabel. Judge Penny further maintained that her ruling is not appealable.

Some 200 to 300 #FreeBritney supporters of all ages gathered outside the Stanley Mosk Courthouse to voice their support for the singer. Under a huge police presence that blocked the street, chants outside the court echoed for Judge Penny to “do the right thing” in freeing Britney from the thumb of her father’s control “now.”

The pop star had been clamoring for years in and out of court all in strategically concerted efforts to oust her father from his longtime post as conservator of her estate. She revealed the restrictions she’s been living under during a bombshell court hearing in June. The “Gimme More” singer claimed she was not allowed to remove her contraception device or get married.

During Wednesday’s hearing, the judge heard lengthy arguments from the primary lawyers representing Britney and Jamie Spears. 

Rosengart said Britney “wants, needs and deserves an orderly transition” and further argued that she “has been abused by this man for the last decade and since her childhood.”

Jamie has been in control of Spears’ finances since 2008 after the pop star underwent a series of involuntary holds. Spears has been locked in a court battle with Jamie over the past years as she’s worked to get control of her life back.
(Chris Farina/Corbis via Getty Images)

“Britney Spears testified under oath about James Spears cruelty and toxic presence in her life,” he told the judge. “There’s a mountain of evidence mandating his suspension.”

Rosengart also made repeated references to the recent FX and New York Times documentary and twice floated the idea that Jamie could be subject to criminal investigations based on what was reported. 

“He’ll have to answer for that,” Rosengart said. “Imagine the traumatic impact on her having to sleep in the same bedroom that her father had allegedly tried to bug.”

Meanwhile, Thoreen defended James Spears’ record handing the estate as “impeccable” over the past 13 years. 

Since working on behalf of Britney to end her conservatorship, Rosengart has managed to get Jamie to at least attest in a court of law, his intention to step away as estate conservator once a proper succession plan is in place. Britney has even gotten engaged to her longtime boyfriend, Sam Asghari, in the months since Rosengart made his mark on the case.

Supporters of Britney Spears rallied for the singer outside of the Stanley Mosk Courthouse in Los Angeles. 
(Irfan Khan/Los Angeles Times)

Jamie had been in control of Spears’ finances since 2008 after the pop star underwent a series of involuntary holds. Britney has been locked in a court battle with Jamie over the past years as she’s worked to get control of her life back.

It now appears she will. 

The next hearing in the case is scheduled for Nov. 12 and should see the judge rule on whether or not the conservatorship is dissolved completely.

Fox News’ Julius Young contributed to this report.

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