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LOS ANGELES – A judge issued Thursday a five-year restraining order barring former Britney Spears manager from contacting the singer or her family, or making offensive statements online about them.
Judge Brenda Penny of the Los Angeles Superior Court made her decision after hearing the testimony of former director Sam Lutfi, 44, and Spears' father, James Spears, who controlled the Money and the affairs of his daughter through a court-ordered Conservative. since 11 years.
Penny rejected the arguments of Lutfi's lawyer, Marc Gans, that the order constituted an unconstitutional restriction on his client's freedom of speech, calling on Lufi's evasive testimony and extending the temporary restraining order she was issued on May 8th.
Gans said in court that he was considering appealing. James Spears declined to comment.
James Spears recognized under interrogation of Gans that he did not have the most peaceful relationship with Britney Spears.
"The relationship between my daughter and me has always been tense," said James Spears.
But in another testimony that Penny claimed to have found candid and credible, James Spears said that Lutfi, who was close to Britney Spears in 2007 and 2008 and was briefly his manager, was a "predator" of his family for over ten years. whose harassment has recently resumed.
"I was worried that he was trying to tear down the conservative function," Spears said at the helm. "I was very angry. I was afraid to be back in 2008. "
Spears and his lawyers suggested, and Penny seemed to agree, that Lutfi had been attempting to incite fans who used the #Free Britney social media hashtag to criticize the control that James Spears and the court had over the Pop star for 11 years. .
The Lutfi Twitter account, which is the subject of much of the evidence, is almost entirely composed of messages criticizing the situation of Spears and his entourage.
But Gans argued that none of the statements had been made directly to individuals or could be considered harassment.
He also pointed out that Lutfi did not have direct contact with Britney Spears herself and suggested that her father and her lawyers did not speak for her and did not provide any evidence that Lutfi's statements had been made. damage to his reputation.
Britney Spears was not present in court and she made very few public comments on the role of curator.
In her testimony, Penny stated that Britney Spears had made contact with him at various times over the years to complain about his father's control over her.
"She needed help to get out of this situation," Lutfi said.
The judge also closed most of Gans' questions to James Spears. The questions asked him to discuss the mental state of his daughter and tried to establish that the derogatory online statements that Lutfi had made about James Spears' drinking and enriching through conservation were true and protected by the Constitution.
Lutfi admitted to having contacted Britney Spears' mother, Lynne Spears, and singer-in-law's brother-in-law, James Watson, by SMS and telephone, and sent Lynne Spears back the money that had been returned to her.
Lutfi testified that he had sent the money "just like many other fans" because Lynne Spears had "liked" Instagram posts that let her think that she needed money and that she should be taking care of her daughter's business instead of her ex-husband James. Spears.
"I had a great relationship with Lynne Spears," said Lutfi about his stint with Britney Spears.
Lutfi and Gans stated that neither Lynne Spears nor Watson told him to stop communicating with them or to tell him that he was harassing them.
Gans also argued that his client's tweets, including the one that simply said "Raise Hell", were far too vague to be considered harassment of the Spears family.
Penny was not in agreement, citing this tweet in his decision as an illegal incitement.
The proceedings were a resumption of a hearing that began May 28 and was closed to the media and the rest of the public. But Penny, who also oversees the Spears conservation case, opened the courtroom on Thursday.
The Spears family has often fought Lutfi in court, starting with a restraining order she had received against him in 2009.
"He has been asked repeatedly to stay away from this family," said conservation council attorney Chad Hummel during the closing arguments. "He can not help it."
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