Britney Spears' Father Claims His Suspension From Her Conservatorship Is 'Disappointing,’ 'Wrong' And A Loss For Her

Pop icon Britney Spears’ father has claimed that his removal from her conservatorship is both "wrong" and a “loss” for the pop star following Wednesday's court ruling.

During a contentious three-hour hearing on Wednesday, Los Angeles Judge Brenda Penny suspended Jamie Spears, 69, as conservator of his daughter’s estate. It marked the first time since 2008 that Britney Spears was released from any of his control.

The ruling came after Britney Spears' lawyer Mathew Rosengart told Penny that Jamie Spears was “a cruel, toxic, abusive man” and that Britney needed to be released from him immediately. Penny made it clear that her ruling is not appealable. 

In a statement from Jamie’s attorney Vivian Thoreen, the singer's father has challenged the court’s decision. 

“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,” he said in the statement obtained by Oxygen.com on Thursday.

Penny named California accountant John Zabel, who Britney Spears and Rosengart recommended, as the temporary conservator of the singer’s finances. Rosengart asked for a court review and termination of the conservatorship within 30 to 45 days. The transfer of the conservator of the person title from Jamie Spears to Zabel will allow Rosengart to investigate the singer's father's behavior during his 13 years of involvement in the conservatorship. The attorney claimed that if the arrangement was simply terminated, as Jamie Spears had asked, investigating his actions would be more challenging. 

Jamie Spears said in court documents that Zabel was not qualified for the job and that the conservatorship should just be terminated altogether.

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

Jamie Spears said that he loves his daughter “unconditionally.”

“For thirteen years, he has tried to do what is in her best interests, whether as a conservator or her father,” the statement reads. “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.”

Rosengart brought up allegations in Wednesday’s hearing that Jamie Spears secretly bugged her bedroom. The accusation was first made public in "Controlling Britney Spears," a documentary released on Hulu on Friday.

“You, Judge Penny, can ask him [Jamie Spears] right now," Rosengart said. "Did he plant a listening device in my client’s bedroom? The bedroom my client still sleeps in today.”

Thoreen claimed that such allegations had no place in court and that those put forth by Britney Spears in her June hearing were never cross-examined.

In June, the pop star accused her father of conservatorship abuse and said he should be in jail. She told the court that at one point during the 13 years since the conservatorship had been established, she had been placed in a psychiatric hold against her will while her family did nothing. She also alleged that she was forced to perform live against her will, take lithium, and was told she could not get her IUD removed. Since that hearing, the pressure for her father to resign began to mount both on social media and in the courtroom. After Britney Spears was permitted in July to finally hire her own attorney, Rosengart quickly filed for her father's removal. 

Jamie Spears has been his daughter’s conservator of estate for 13 years. He was also her conservator of the person from 2008 until 2019 when he stepped down from that role.

While the singer was not present in court on Wednesday, she made it clear on her Instagram that she was in a good mood following the judge's decision. Her father expressed that he would adhere to the ruling.

"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," Thoreen said.