Britney Spears' father is now suspended from the conservatorship that has controlled her personal and financial affairs for 13 years, a judge presiding over the case has ruled.
On Wednesday, September 29, Judge Brenda Penny ordered the suspension of 69-year-old Jamie Spears from the post of guardian over his 39-year-old daughter's affairs effective immediately, BBC News reports.
Per USA Today, the judge has replaced Jamie with John Zabel, who was chosen by Britney to oversee her finances until the end of the year, with the understanding that the conservatorship may come to a complete end before then.
Jamie Spears was appointed conservator of his daughter's estate in 2008 due to growing concerns over her mental state. However, in recent months, a number of damning allegations about the restrictive and invasive nature of the conservatorship have come to the fore.
The 'Toxic' singer spoke out against her father in highly publicized court hearings in June and July, alleging in lengthy testimonies that she was "forced to take Lithium" as a "punishment" and that she was prevented from getting married or having a baby.
Britney also branded the conservatorship, and her father's role in it, "abuse".
Through the #FreeBritney movement, fans rallied around the 'Womanizer' hitmaker in her bid to liberate herself from the conservatorship.
Supporters were shocked to learn the full extent of Britney's alleged treatment after she recalled being under the influence of lithium.
She told the court: "Lithium is very very strong, it’s a completely different medication to what I was used to. You can go mentally impaired if you take too much or stay on it longer than five months.
"I felt drunk, I really couldn't even [look after myself], I couldn't even have a conversation with my mom and dad really about anything."
Britney also shared her devastation over being forced to use birth control despite her desire to have more children.
She testified: "I was told right now in the conservatorship, I’m not able to get married or have a baby, I have an [IUD] inside of myself right now so I don’t get pregnant. I wanted to take the [IUD] out so I could start trying to have another baby.
"But this so-called team won’t let me go to the doctor to take it out because they don’t want me to have children - any more children. So basically, this conservatorship is doing me way more harm than good."
It was Jamie himself who filed to end the conservatorship after a summer of explosive claims and dramatic court hearings. Per Independent, another hearing is set to take place later this year in order to end the conservatorship for good.