Britney Spears has obtained a restraining order against former pal Osama “Sam” Lutfi and one-time boyfriend Adnan Ghalib, court records show.
Attorneys for Spears and her father, who is her legal conservator, received the order on Friday. The documents state that Lutfi, Ghalib and attorney Jon Eardley have been trying to gain control of Spears’ affairs.
“On the first anniversary of the establishment of the conservatorship, the co-conservators are informed and believe that these three figures are working in concert to disrupt the conservatorship, with an utter disregard for Ms Spears’ health and well being,” the documents state.
Lutfi was a manager and friend of Spears, whose mother once accused him of grinding pills into her food to control her. Ghalib, a paparazzo, had dated the singer.
The documents, released late Friday, claim that Lutfi tried to contact Spears in late December by sending text messages to her hairdresser. The documents state Lutfi later started sending text messages to Spears and one of her attorneys, Blair Berk, trying to arrange a meeting.
The order, first reported by the celebrity Web site TMZ, alleges that Lutfi has also sent “anonymous, harassing and threatening” messages to Spears’ father.
This week, the documents state, an attorney sent a proposal to remove Spears’ court-appointed attorney. He later told Spears’ attorneys that he had been contacted by Eardley and Lutfi, according to the filings.
Eardley once claimed to be Spears’ attorney and tried to get her conservatorship case moved to federal court. A phone message left at Eardley’s office was not returned on Friday.
Spears and her father agreed not to renew a temporary restraining order that was issued against Lutfi last year when it expired in July.
At the time, Spears’ court-appointed attorney Samuel D. Ingham III issued a statement renouncing their friendship. “Britney has made clear to everyone that she does not want to be further harassed or contacted in any way by Osama ‘Sam’ Lutfi, now or at anytime in the future,” Ingham said in a statement.
Lutfi at the time declined to comment, saying only that he and Jamie Spears had reached an agreement.
Spears was placed under the conservatorship a year ago yesterday.
The arrangement has been expensive — her estate has paid out hundreds of thousands of dollars in legal fees — but since her father took control of her life, the pop singer has not had the bouts of erratic behavior, including two hospitalizations, that led to his intervention.
She released her newest album, Circus in December on her 27th birthday and is preparing for an upcoming concert tour.
The Boss is owning up to a mistake.
In an interview with the New York Times, Bruce Springsteen says he shouldn’t have made a deal with Wal-Mart. This month, the store started exclusively selling a Springsteen greatest-hits CD.
Some fans were critical because Springsteen has been a longtime supporter of worker’s rights, and Wal-Mart has faced criticism for its labor practices. Springsteen’s team didn’t vet the issue as closely as it should have, and he “dropped the ball on it,” he told the Times for a story published in yesterday’s editions.
Springsteen went on to say: “It was a mistake. Our batting average is usually very good, but we missed that one. Fans will call you on that stuff, as it should be.”
“Millions of Springsteen fans have counted on Wal-Mart over the years to deliver his music into their lives, and we will continue to offer those fans this Greatest Hits exclusive and his other popular albums at unbeatable prices,” Wal-Mart said in a statement, adding: “We are proud of the good jobs, benefits and career opportunities we provide to more than 1.4 million US associates who choose to work at Wal-Mart and serve our customers every day.”
Springsteen released his new CD Working on a Dream this week and was scheduled to perform during the halftime show at the Super Bowl.
An attorney wants Bridget Jones’ diary.
Allen Michel told a judge in Los Angeles on Friday that he wants Renee Zellweger to turn over her diary, give a deposition and provide any other documents to explain how she spent her time during a seven-week delay in the filming of 2005’s Cinderella Man in Toronto.
Zellweger’s agents had negotiated a US$3 million payment for the Bridget Jones’ Diary star because of the delay, caused by Russell Crowe’s dislocated shoulder.
Michel represents an insurer that says it’s already paid nearly US$6 million for the delay, and wants to detail Zellweger’s actions during that time. The insurer claims it shouldn’t be liable for the money paid to Zellweger, who isn’t named as a party to the lawsuit.— Agencies
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