A lawyer for Jamie Spears said Thursday that a judge’s decision to terminate him as conservator of his daughter’s estate is “a loss for Britney.”
At a hearing on Wednesday, Los Angeles Superior Court judge Brenda Penny ruled that Jamie will be replaced by accountant John Zabel.
Penny said “the current situation is untenable. It reflects a toxic environment.”
Britney Spears: iHeartRadio.ca Music News Coverage
In a statement, Jamie’s lawyer Vivian Thoreen said her client loves Britney unconditionally.
“For 13 years, he has tried to do what is in her best interests, whether as a conservator or her father,” she said. “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.”
The statement added: “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.”
Jamie vowed to look out for Britney’s “best interests” despite being relieved of his role.
Jodi Montgomery, Britney’s conservator of person, will continue to oversee the singer's day-to-day activities.
Judge Penny has set a hearing for Nov. 12 to decide if the conservatorship should be ended.
Shortly after Wednesday’s 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.