Britney Spears has been granted a permanent restraining order against her former manager.
The ‘Toxic’ hitmaker sought protection from Sam Lutfi – who looked after her career from 2007 to 2008 – for herself and her family last month and now a judge has granted a five-year order forbidding him from contacting her and her relatives and from making disparaging comments about them online.
Los Angeles Superior Court Judge Brenda Penny rejected arguments from Sam’s lawyer, Marc Gans, that the order would be a restraint on his free speech as none of his controversial Twitter posts – which largely criticised Britney’s circumstances and the people around her – were made directly to individuals or could be considered harassment.
The 37-year-old singer’s dad, Jamie Spears – who has control of his daughter’s affairs because of a court-ordered conservatorship – admitted while giving evidence that he has a "strained" relationship with the ‘Womanizer’ hitmaker.
He told the court how Sam had been a "predator" on his family for over 10 years and he was "worried" about his potential influence.
He said: "I worried that he was trying to take down the conservatorship. I was very angry. I was worried that we were right back in 2008."
Britney was not present in court, and Sam’s lawyer argued her father and legal team were not speaking for her and had provided no evidence she had been harmed by anything he had said.
This isn’t the first time Sam has faced the family in court as they previously received a restraining order against him in 2009.
Conservatorship attorney Chad Hummel noted: "He’s been asked repeatedly to stay away from this family. He can’t help himself."
Sam is believed to be planning to appeal the decision.
Britney Spears granted permanent restraining order
