Britney Spears has been handed back her freedom after a judged ruled that her conservatorship should be ended.
The singer’s career, finances and personal life had been controlled by her father Jamie Spears and care professional Jodi Montgomery since 2008 after she was committed to a psychiatric ward over mental health issues for a second time.
However, at Los Angeles County Superior Court on Friday, Judge Brenda Penny terminated the conservatorship, effective immedidately, the New York Times reports.
The pop star had branded the conservatorship “abusive”, claiming she was forced to work against her will, and that it had been used to stop her from removing a contraceptive device in order to try for another child.
Her campaign to end it had been supported by fans, who formed a #FreeBritney movement and launched protests.
Mr Spears was suspended from his role as overseer of his daughter’s $60m estate in September this year and replaced by Ms Montgomery – who had already been responsible for the singer’s personal well-being under the conservatorship.
The judge ruled Ms Montgomery should keep working in order to settle any ongoing financial concerns related to the case.
Judge Penny sided decisively with Ms Spears and her lawyer Mathew Rosengart at the last hearing in September, when she suspended the singer’s father from the conservatorship.
The judge made no finding of wrongdoing against Mr Spears, saying only that the “toxic environment” made the move necessary, adding that “current situation is untenable”.
In June this year, Ms Spears, 39, told a court that the conservatorship was “abusive”, and that she wanted it to end without the need for a medical assessment.
Ms Montgomery has developed a care plan with Ms Spears’s therapists and doctors to guide her through the end of the conservatorship and its aftermath.