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Amanda Bynes has reportedly filed a legal petition to end her conservatorship after nine years. As per documents obtained by Page Six, the actress has asked California’s Ventura County Superior Court to terminate both her personal and estate guardianship.
The publication also noted that the All That alum filed a capacity declaration earlier this week to fulfill a rule that requires all conservatorship cases in California to provide updated records about the conservatee’s mental and physical health approved by a professional physician, psychologist, or religious healer.
Meanwhile, Bynes’ lawyer David A. Esquibias, told PEOPLE that the actress wishes to end her conservatorship as she “believes her condition is improved” and protection of the court is “no longer necessary."
Amanda Bynes was first placed in a temporary conservatorship under her mother Lynn after she allegedly attempted to set fire to a stranger’s driveway in 2013 following a possible mental health crisis and a few legal troubles.
Lynn gained full conservatorship of her daughter in 2014 and has continued to serve as a conservator ever since. The legal arrangement granted her full control over Amanda Bynes’ financial, medical, and personal affairs.
A look into Amanda Bynes’ conservatorship case
Amanda Bynes rose to fame while working as a child artist on Nickelodeon’s All That and later bagged her breakthrough role in the spin-off series The Amanda Show. She gained further recognition with WB’s What I Like About You and made her film debut with Big Fat Liar.
Despite having a successful career, Bynes announced an indefinite hiatus from acting after the release of her 2010 film Easy A. Two years later, the actress was charged with DUI (driving under the influence) in West Hollywood.
In 2013, she was once again charged with reckless endangerment and possession of marijuana after she was spotted smoking in the lobby of her Manhattan residence. Bynes allegedly threw a bong out of her window after officers entered the 36th-floor of her building.
Things took a turn for the worse when Amanda Bynes attempted to start a fire in a Thousand Oaks driveway that same year. Following the incident, she was detained by the Ventura County Sheriff's Department and placed on a 72-hour psychiatric hold.
Bynes’ parents filed for conservatorship after her hospitalization and her mother Lynn was granted temporary guardianship over her daughter’s affairs in 2013.
In 2014, the former child star accused her father of alleged abuse through a series of concerning tweets. She later withdrew her claims and wrote that her father was not abusive but the “microchip” in her brain caused her to say such things.
The actress also alleged that her father ordered authorities to microchip her. In the wake of the social media drama, Bynes’ mother regained her daughter's conservatorship in 2014.
That same year, the Hairspray star revealed that she was diagnosed with bipolar disorder. Nearly three years later, Lynn filed to give back full control over her daughter’s financial dealings and only wanted control of her medical and personal affairs.
In 2018, Amanda Bynes opened up about her struggles in an interview with Paper magazine. The actress also revealed that she was sober for four years and thanked her parents for bringing her “back on track”:
"I just had no purpose in life. I’d been working my whole life and [now] I was doing nothing. I had a lot of time on my hands and I would ‘wake and bake’ and literally be stoned all day long."
The What a Girl Wants star also said she felt embarrassed about her past actions and apologized for her behavior:
"I’m really ashamed and embarrassed with the things I said. I can’t turn back time but if I could, I would. I’m so sorry to whoever I hurt and whoever I lied about because it truly eats away at me. It makes me feel so horrible and sick to my stomach and sad."
Reports suggest that new paperwork was filed in August 2018 to continue Bynes’ conservatorship until August 2020. As per NBC, that same year, a lawyer announced that the actress was seeking fresh treatment for fresh “mental health issues.”
Two months later, Bynes took to social media to announce that she was in a “better place” and working towards getting her degree from the Fashion Institute of Design and Merchandising. In September 2021, new reports emerged that Bynes’ conservatorship was extended through 2023.
However, attorney Esquibias denied the claims and told PEOPLE at the time that the conservatorship was open on a “day to day” basis and it would be terminated once "it is no longer convenient for Amanda."
On February 23, 2022, Variety confirmed that Bynes has officially filed to terminate her conservatorship. Meanwhile, Lynn’s lawyer Tamar Arminak said that Lynn supports her daughter's decision.
It was also mentioned that Amanda Bynes’ parents are “happy and thrilled and proud” of their daughter and “ready to terminate the conservatorship” based on the hard work Bynes has done. The next hearing of the case is scheduled for March 22 in Oxnard, California.
