Jamie Spears says being removed from conservatorship is “a loss for Britney”

Britney Spears‘ father Jamie has issued a statement after he was suspended as her conservator yesterday (September 29).

The ruling saw LA Judge Brenda Penny formally end the controversial conservatorship that the singer has had with her father since 2008.

A separate temporary conservatorship has been set up and will be headed by John Zabel, an accountant who was selected by Britney’s legal team.

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In a statement that was released via his lawyer Vivian Thoreen, Spears’ father Jamie has now said: “Mr. Spears loves his daughter Britney unconditionally. For 13 years, he has tried to do what is in her best interests, whether as a conservator or her father.

“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.”

Britney Spears’ lawyer files petition to immediately remove father Jamie from conservatorship
Supporters of Britney Spears during a #FreeBritney rally in Miami, Florida on August 07. Credit: Jason Koerner/Getty Images.

The statement continued: “These facts make the outcome of yesterday’s hearing all the more disappointing, and frankly, a loss for Britney. 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.

“Again, it was Mr. Spears who took the initiative to file the petition to terminate the conservatorship when neither Britney’s former court-appointed counsel nor her new privately-retained attorney would do so. It was Mr. Spears who asked the court at yesterday’s hearing to immediately terminate the conservatorship while Britney’s own attorney argued against it.”

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The statement concluded: “Despite the suspension, Mr. Spears will continue to look out for the best interests of his daughter and work in good faith towards a positive resolution of all matters.”

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Britney Spears attends the 29th Annual GLAAD Media Awards at The Beverly Hilton Hotel on April 12, 2018 in Beverly Hills, California. (Picture: J. Merritt/Getty Images for GLAAD)

After yesterday’s ruling Britney herself appeared to respond to the news, saying on Instagram that she was “on cloud nine.”

In August, Jamie began proceedings to step down as Britney’s conservator, with his filing arguing that while he believes he is the “unremitting target of unjustified attacks, he does not believe that a public battle with his daughter over his continuing service as her conservator would be in her best interests”.

Earlier this month, Jamie then filed a petition to have Britney’s conservatorship ended entirely. He had previously been adamant that there were “no grounds whatsoever” to have him removed from the singer’s conservatorship.