Huge Victory for Britney Spears in Conservatorship Battle

After 13 years, Britney Spears' conservatorship is one step closer to ending. Her father and the conservator of her estate, Jamie Spears, filed a petition with the Los Angeles Superior Court Tuesday to terminate the legal arrangement, NBC News reports. "The conservatorship has helped Ms. Spears get through a major life crisis, rehabilitate and advance her career, and put her finances and her affairs in order. But recently, things have changed," it says, "to such an extent that grounds for establishment of a conservatorship may no longer exist." It acknowledges that Spears has voiced her desire for the conservatorship to end, and says she "is entitled to have this Court now seriously consider whether this conservatorship is no longer required."

"As Mr. Spears has said again and again, all he wants is what is best for his daughter," it continues, per CNN. "If Ms. Spears wants to terminate the conservatorship and believes that she can handle her own life, Mr. Spears believes that she should get that chance." Spears' new attorney, Mathew Rosengart, who filed to have the pop star's father removed as conservator last month, called the filing a "massive" legal victory as well as "vindication," but he also said that by filing, Jamie Spears seems to be trying to "avoid accountability and justice, including sitting for a sworn deposition and answering other discovery under oath."

Britney Spears has also made it clear she will not undergo a psychological evaluation as a condition of the conservatorship being dismantled, and Jamie Spears' filing acknowledges that, and says probate code does not require such an evaluation. The judge in the case is expected to rule on the petition Sept. 29. Fans and #FreeBritney supporters were going wild on Twitter after the news broke, though some cautioned that Britney isn't actually free until the judge rules in her favor. Also sending fans into a tizzy on social media: A sweet back-and-forth between Britney and Iggy Azalea on Instagram Tuesday. (More Britney Spears stories.)