Amanda Bynes Files to End Her Conservatorship After Almost 9 Years

Amanda Bynes filed a petition to terminate her nearly 9-year conservatorship, and a review hearing has been scheduled for March 22, according to her case information viewed by In Touch.

Bynes, 35, submitted new documents at the Ventura County Superior Court on Wednesday, February 23, hoping to put an official end to the conservatorship of her person and estate, which began back in August 2013. Since the previously temporary arrangement was set into place in October 2014, her mother, Lynn Bynes, has had legal control of her personal, medical and financial choices.

The Nickelodeon star’s decision to seek freedom comes in the wake of Britney Spears’ conservatorship victory in November 2021. A judge ruled in favor of terminating the singer’s 13-year arrangement after the #FreeBritney movement.

Like Spears, Bynes is ready to forgo her current setup. “Amanda wishes to terminate her conservatorship. She believes her condition is improved and protection of the court is no longer necessary,” the actress’ lawyer David A. Esquibias told People in a statement on Friday, February 25.

Last year, he said Bynes was “doing really well, besides anxiety and trauma” that she was still experiencing. “A status report regarding her health and welfare was filed and approved by the court,” Esquibias told the outlet in the same update shared in September 2021. “By law, the next status report is due in two years.”

Bynes previously spoke out about her conservatorship in a candid message she shared in 2020, thanking fans for keeping her in their thoughts.

“Thank you guys so much for hearing me out. I’m sorry that this is what I’ve been dealing with and I’m sorry to put my problems out on the internet, but this is what life has come to,” the Easy A star said. “So, thank you guys so much for supporting me, love you all, peace out, appreciate your love and support.”

As for her personal life, she graduated from the Fashion Institute of Design & Merchandising in Los Angeles, California, in June 2019 and later announced her engagement to Paul Michael on Valentine’s Day 2020.

“Engaged to tha [sic] love of my life,” Bynes wrote at the time while showing off her diamond ring. It appears they are still together now as they were last spotted in September 2021.