Britney Spears' father suspended as her conservator

By Chloe Melas, Veronica Rocha, Fernando Alfonso III and Meg Wagner, CNN

Updated 0141 GMT (0941 HKT) September 30, 2021
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9:19 p.m. ET, September 29, 2021

A lot happened in the conservatorship of Britney Spears on Wednesday. Get caught up.

A person holds an image of Britney Spears outside the Stanley Mosk Courthouse in Los Angeles on September 29.
A person holds an image of Britney Spears outside the Stanley Mosk Courthouse in Los Angeles on September 29. (Chris Pizzello/AP)

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.

8:40 p.m. ET, September 29, 2021

Spears posts video of her flying a plane following court ruling

Britney Spears this evening shared a video of her flying a plane following a Los Angeles judge's decision to suspend her father as conservator of her estimated $60 million dollar estate.

"On cloud 9 right now 🤩☁️✈️ !!!! First time flying a plane and first time in a prop plane," Spears wrote on Instagram along with the video.

Spears was not in court Wednesday where Judge Brenda Penny suspended the legal oversight of her father, Jamie Spears.

A hearing to consider a request by Spears to end her conservatorship altogether is set for Nov. 12.

8:05 p.m. ET, September 29, 2021

Spears' attorney: "The support of the #FreeBritney movement has been instrumental"

Britney Spears' attorney Mathew Rosengart speaks after a hearing at the Stanley Mosk Courthouse in Los Angeles on September 29.
Britney Spears' attorney Mathew Rosengart speaks after a hearing at the Stanley Mosk Courthouse in Los Angeles on September 29. (Kevin Winter/Getty Images)

Britney Spears' attorney Mathew 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 court hearing in Los Angeles. "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."

More on the #FreeBritney movement: In 2009, Spears superfan Megan Radford read a blog post about her idol's new legal arrangement, and something didn't feel right.

So Radford staged a one-woman protest outside the star's concert in Dallas, wearing a T-shirt she'd made herself, emblazoned with a quirky slogan: "Free Britney."

"I was all alone ... I think some people definitely thought I was a nut," Radford told CNN this summer. But, she added, "when you really care about a human, it's not that much bigger of a step to start advocating for her rights."

Radford, 34, who said she never "grew out" of her adolescent love for Spears, had never heard of a conservatorship before. The Spears fans around her had little concern about the cause, and the phrase on her clothing wasn't a hashtag yet — just a couple of words she'd read on a fansite.

"It was just a way of trying to convey the situation," said Jordan Miller, the owner of the fansite and the man who coined the expression "Free Britney" in a series of breathless posts to his readers in late 2008. "I was 19, 20 years old ... all of this came flying out of me."

Today, those two words describe arguably the defining pop culture crusade of the internet era.

The #FreeBritney movement, which claims the star is being kept against her will in a legal stranglehold that denies her even the most basic personal freedoms, has outposts around the world and has drawn intense media scrutiny onto the singer's case in recent years.

Reporting from CNN's Rob Picheta contributed to this post.

7:51 p.m. ET, September 29, 2021

Court hearing to end Britney Spears' conservatorship set for November

From CNN’s Julia Jones

A sketch shows the courtroom and a monitor with attendees on video conference during Britney Spears' conservatorship hearing in Los Angeles on September 29.
A sketch shows the courtroom and a monitor with attendees on video conference during Britney Spears' conservatorship hearing in Los Angeles on September 29. (Bill Robles)

A hearing to consider a request by Britney Spears to end her conservatorship altogether is set for Nov. 12.

Attorney Mathew 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.

Earlier today: Penny suspended the legal oversight of her father, Jamie Spears, designating a replacement selected by the singer and her attorney.

Certified public accountant John Zabel has been appointed as temporary conservator of her estate.

7:43 p.m. ET, September 29, 2021

Britney Spears' attorney calls her father "a cruel, toxic, abusive man" in contentious hearing

From CNN’s Chloe Melas and Cheri Mossburg

A court sketch shows Britney Spears’ attorney Mathew Rosengart, left, and Los Angeles Superior Court Judge Brenda Penny at a hearing in Los Angeles on September 29.
A court sketch shows Britney Spears’ attorney Mathew Rosengart, left, and Los Angeles Superior Court Judge Brenda Penny at a hearing in Los Angeles on September 29. (Bill Robles)

In the contentious court hearing, Britney Spears’ attorney Mathew Rosengart called her father, Jamie Spears, “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.”

Judge Brenda Penny appointed John Zabel as the temporary conservator of Britney’s estate.

Another hearing will be set, possibly before the end of the year, to consider terminating the conservatorship altogether.

Rosengart also cited behavior he called "unfathomable," based on reporting by the New York Times during today's hearing.

Rosengart accused Britney Spears' father of placing a recording device in her bedroom, allegations an attorney for the elder Spears did not directly respond to when previously contacted by CNN.

“We learned Mr. Spears did something unfathomable. He instructed [a] security team, paid for by my client, to place a listening device in Britney’s bedroom.”

In response in court on Wednesday, Vivian Thoreen, Jamie Spears’ lawyer, said, “It’s not evidence, it’s rhetoric.”

6:33 p.m. ET, September 29, 2021

There will be another hearing to consider ending Spears' conservatorship altogether

From CNN’s Chloe Melas and Cheri Mossburg

A Los Angeles judge moments ago suspended the legal oversight of Britney Spears' father, designating a replacement selected by the singer and her attorney.

The move suspends Jamie Spears as his daughter's conservator, but it does not end the conservatorship.

Another hearing will be set — possibly before the end of the year — to consider terminating the conservatorship altogether. The exact date is not known.

Britney Spears made a tearful plea in court in June asking for the arrangement to end after 13 years, and, specifically, for her father to be removed from his role managing her estate.

6:23 p.m. ET, September 29, 2021

Jamie Spears suspended as Britney Spears' conservator

From CNN’s Chloe Melas

Britney Spears will no longer have her father managing her estate after he was suspended from the role as conservator of the singer’s estate.

A Los Angeles judge on Wednesday suspended the legal oversight of her father, Jamie Spears, designating a replacement selected by the singer and her attorney.

Certified public accountant John Zabel has been appointed as temporary conservator of her estate.

Britney Spears did not call into the hearing.

Today's hearing is currently on a break. Afterward, both sides will discuss when there will be another court hearing.

The conservatorship of Britney’s person, managed by Jodi Montgomery, remains in place.

6:08 p.m. ET, September 29, 2021

"Britney vs. Spears" director says she hoped to solve one of the most "mysterious legal mysteries of our time"

Erin Lee Carr, "Britney vs. Spears" documentary filmmaker, speaks with CNN on September 29.
Erin Lee Carr, "Britney vs. Spears" documentary filmmaker, speaks with CNN on September 29. CNN

"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 the film because she hoped to "move the story forward," she told CNN this afternoon.

"Britney vs. Spears" premiered on Netflix Tuesday.

"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. "

"Britney vs. Spears" is one of a handful of documentaries to be released on the singer, including Hulu's "Controlling Britney Spears" and CNN's "Toxic: Britney Spears’ Battle for Freedom."

5:33 p.m. ET, September 29, 2021

Britney Spears fans rally around the world ahead of conservatorship hearing

Scores of Britney Spears fans gathered in Los Angeles and London this afternoon ahead of a hearing where a judge will determine whether the 13-year conservatorship can be terminated.

Fans were seen carrying homemade signs featuring photos of the singer and #FreeBritney, the viral hashtag used to rally support for Spears.

See some of the scenes from Los Angeles and London:

Britney Spears supporters attend a rally in London on September 29.
Britney Spears supporters attend a rally in London on September 29. (Kate Green/Getty Images)

Britney Spears supporters demonstrate outside the Stanley Mosk Courthouse in Los Angeles on September 29.
Britney Spears supporters demonstrate outside the Stanley Mosk Courthouse in Los Angeles on September 29. (Chris Pizzello/AP)

A Britney Spears supporter holds a sign outside the Stanley Mosk Courthouse in Los Angeles on September 29.
A Britney Spears supporter holds a sign outside the Stanley Mosk Courthouse in Los Angeles on September 29. (Chris Pizzello/AP)

Signs are placed on the ground as Britney Spears supporters demonstrate in front of the Stanley Mosk Courthouse in Los Angeles on September 29.
Signs are placed on the ground as Britney Spears supporters demonstrate in front of the Stanley Mosk Courthouse in Los Angeles on September 29. (Valerie Macon/AFP/Getty Images)