Britney Spears' father has been removed from his controversial role as his daughter's guardian, ending a long legal fight by the pop star. On Wednesday, a judge suspended Jamie Spears as Britney's conservator, taking away his role controlling the singer’s $60 million estate, as per reports.
“The current situation is not tenable. It reflects a toxic environment which requires the suspension of Jamie Spears, effective today,” Reuters quoted Los Angeles Superior Court Judge Brenda Penny as saying during a court hearing.
The Reuters report also stated that Jamie Spears will be replaced with an accountant, John Zabel, on a temporary basis. The judge also set a November date for hearing on whether to terminate the conservatorship that controlled Britney's life for 13 years.
Thousands of supporters had gathered outside the Los Angeles courtroom ahead of the hearing, carrying signs with slogans like 'Free Britney', a movement that was taken up across the world by her supporters on social media.
Wednesday's ruling came after Britney's lawyer Mathew Rosengart had filed a petition to have her father removed. "Every day that goes by with him as conservator -- every day and every hour -- is one in which he causes his daughter anguish and pain," the plea stated.
A New York Times documentary released recently claimed that the singer's phone and bedroom were bugged by security staff working for her father. A former security staff also said that conversations with Britney's friends, children and her previous lawyer were monitored. Jamie, however, denied the allegations and said that his actions were within his authority as a conservator.
In June, Britney Spears went public about her efforts to break free from the conservatorship, telling a judge that she found it 'abusive' and humiliating. She added that she didn't trust her father.
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