
A Los Angeles judge suspended Britney Spears' father from the 13-year conservatorship, which has captured the world's attention and emboldened her legions of fans under the banner of #FreeBritney.
Here's what else happened Wednesday:
- End of an era: Spears will no longer have her father Jamie Spears managing her estate after he was suspended from the role as conservator of the singer’s estate. Certified public accountant John Zabel has been appointed as temporary conservator of her estate.
- Strong words: In the contentious court hearing, Spears’ attorney Mathew Rosengart called her father “a cruel, toxic, abusive man.” “She wants him out of her life today rather than a lingering and toxic presence,” Rosengart said. “Britney deserves to wake up tomorrow without her father as her conservator.”
- Crediting the #FreeBritney movement: Rosengart praised the #FreeBritney movement this afternoon in helping to lead to the suspension of the singer's father as her conservator. "It's been a lot of hard work, it's been intense. I'm proud, Britney's proud," Rosengart said during a news conference after the hearing. "I think the support of the #FreeBritney movement has been instrumental. To the extent that it allowed my firm to carry the ball across the finish line, I thank them as well."
- Documenting history: "Britney vs. Spears" documentary filmmaker Erin Lee Carr deliberately chose not to include images of Britney Spears at the height of her mental struggles in her new Netflix film because she hoped to "move the story forward," she told CNN this afternoon shortly before the judge's ruling. "It was in empathy for people with mental struggles, but it also was that I wanted to move the story forward. I think when I approached Netflix with this story, it wasn't about the parade of images and videos we have previously seen, but what is going on inside the conservatorship and me, two and a half years ago, maybe I can help crack one of the most mysterious legal mysteries of our time," Carr said. "It was incredibly naive, but if I was going do it, I was going to do it in a forward-facing way. "
- What comes next: A hearing to consider a request by Spears to end her conservatorship altogether is set for Nov. 12. Rosengart said the singer, who did not attend Wednesday's hearing, would like an orderly transition and an opportunity to put a plan in place to terminate her conservatorship in the next 30 to 45 days. A second hearing is planned for Dec. 13, when Judge Brenda Penny will address financial matters and additional petitions.