Britney Spears was freed Wednesday from the control of her father Jamie Spears after 13 years.
Los Angeles Superior Court judge Brenda Penny ruled that Jamie will be removed as conservator of Britney’s estate and finances and temporarily replaced by accountant John Zabel.
“The current situation is untenable,” Penny said. "It reflects a toxic environment."
Jodi Montgomery will remain conservator of the pop star’s person.
Shortly after the ruling, Britney wrote in an Instagram post that she was "On cloud 9 right now" – along with clips showing her behind the controls of a small plane.
Britney’s lawyer Mathew Rosengart filed papers in July – exactly 4,925 days after her father was given control of Britney's finances – to have Jamie ousted. Rosengart describes the conservatorship as a “Kafkaesque nightmare” and said the relationship between Jamie and his daughter is “venomous.” The documents allege “potential misconduct, including conflicts of interest [and] conservatorship abuse.”
Britney Spears: iHeartRadio.ca Music News Coverage
In August, Jamie told the court he was willing to step down from his role even though, according to his lawyer, “there are, in fact, no actual grounds for suspending or removing” him. “It is highly debatable whether a change in conservator at this time would be in Ms. Spears’ best interests.”
Last November, Britney's then-lawyer Samuel Ingham III told the court that Spears is “afraid of her father” and has vowed she “will not perform again if her father is in charge of her career.” Britney hasn't released a studio album since 2016's Glory and hasn't performed since her Piece of Me Tour ended in October 2018.
Last week, Britney for the first time filed documents to end the conservatorship she has been under since 2008. On Wednesday, the judge scheduled a hearing on Nov. 12 to determine the fate of the conservatorship.
In her testimony on June 23, Britney pleaded for her freedom. “My dad and anyone involved in this conservatorship and my management who played a huge role in punishing me when I said no — ma’am, they should be in jail," she told Penny.
This article has been updated since it was first published.