Here’s the latest update in the Britney Spears’ conservatorship saga: Today Judge Brenda Penny has officially ruled that Jamie Spears is suspended as the conservator of Britney’s estate. TMZ reports that a temporary conservator has been appointed. John Zabel, who is a CPA — unlike Britney’s father — will be temporary conservator of the estate until December 31st. Even though Britney’s own testimony about her father’s abuse and mismanagement seems like proof enough that the situation was dire, it wasn’t until new information came to light in The New York Times‘ follow-up documentary on the subject, Controlling Britney Spears, that real legal momentum to remove Jamie from the situation started to build.
According to the documentary, Jamie had been illegally bugging Britney’s home as part of his surveillance system. That’s a crime in California, where two-party consent for recording is in place, and even the FBI is reportedly looking into the situation. Britney’s recently-hired new lawyer, Mathew Rosengart, has also submitted a request that the conservatorship be terminated sometime this fall, and requested a hearing on the matter in the next 30 to 45 days. No ruling was made on the status of the conservatorship itself, but with the direction of the judge’s ruling today, it seems more likely than ever that the situation will finally be resolved and Britney will be free again.