Britney Spears' father, Jamie Spears, has been banned from his duty as conservator three months after openly calling for an end to her "abusive" conservatorship, which began in 2008 and eventually spawned the #FreeBritney fan movement.

Judge Brenda Penny ordered the suspension during a hearing Wednesday at the Stanley Mosk Courthouse in downtown Los Angeles (September 29). "I do believe that the suspension of James Spears as conservator... is in the best interest of the conservatee," Penny told the Los Angeles Times. This order will be carried out in its entirety."

However, Britney's conservatorship was not terminated altogether since accountant John Zabel was designated as an interim fiduciary conservator by Britney's team. Jamie was told to hand up all of his belongings to Zabel as soon as possible.

According to the New York Times, Jamie's lawyer, Vivian Lee Thoreen, argued that Britney's conservatorship should be terminated immediately rather than her client being suspended. Britney's lawyer, Mathew Rosengart, disputed this, arguing that a new hearing should be convened within 30 to 45 days to investigate Jamie's behavior.

Jamie's lawyers had filed court documents earlier this week objecting to the appointment of a temporary conservator to replace Jamie, claiming that John Zabel was unqualified for the job because he "does not appear to have the background and experience required to take over a complex, $60 million (approx.) conservatorship estate on a temporary or immediate basis."

Jamie was labeled a "reported alcoholic and gambling addict, with zero financial background or experience in financial matters, who previously filed for bankruptcy and currently has a Domestic Violence Restraining Order against him," according to Rosengart.

Jamie was removed from his position due to new allegations that he had been secretly monitoring Britney using cameras in her room and a tap on her phone. The charges were made in the New York Times documentary Controlling Britney Spears, which was released last Friday as a follow-up to Framing Britney Spears, released in February.

According to Britney's legal team, Jamie had displayed "horrifying and unconscionable invasions of his adult daughter's privacy," assuming the charges were accurate. "All of his actions were well within the parameters of the authority conferred upon him by the court," a lawyer for Jamie told the New York Times. Britney, her court-appointed counsel, and the court were all aware of and consented to his actions."

These allegations follow Britney's assertions in a landmark hearing in June. She called the conservatorship "abusive" and claimed that she was barred from having additional children, getting married, or using her IUD while under it. In a court statement, Jamie's lawyers stated that Jamie "is simply not involved in any decisions related to Ms. Spears's personal care, medical or reproductive issues."

Jamie filed paperwork in August to resign as Britney's conservator, claiming that while he believes he is the "unrelenting target of unjustified attacks," a public struggle with his daughter for his continuous duty as her conservator "would not be in her best interests."

Jamie filed a petition in September to have Britney's conservatorship terminated utterly. He had previously stated that removing him from the singer's conservatorship was based on "no grounds whatsoever."

Jamie requested a court hearing on the topic in January 2022 in his September filing. Jamie's "immediate and necessary suspension" by "no later than [September] 29," according to Britney and her staff.

Britney wanted to speed up the process to reach an agreement with her fiance, Sam Asghari, on a prenuptial agreement. In his submission, Rosengart stated, "The prenuptial agreement process will require communications with and cooperation from the conservator of her estate."

Britney versus. Spears, a new Netflix documentary about the singer and her conservatorship, was released on Tuesday (September 28).