PICTURE EXCLUSIVE: Britney Spears' ex manager Sam Lutfi has his restraining order extended after it's revealed the 'vulnerable' singer is going through 'great anxiety'

  • An LA judge ruled the order against Lutfi should remain in place until June 13
  • The hearing will then resume on whether it can be extended for several years
  • The courtroom was sealed Tuesday for most of the proceedings after an attorney argued public testimony would be harmful to Spears' vulnerable emotional state
  • Singer Britney is said to be going through 'great anxiety' about the case 
  • She was not at Los Angeles Superior Court but her dad, Jamie Spears, was there
  • Spears' former manager has been accused of harassing Spears and her family
  • Lutfi's attorney says the order is a violation of his rights and he intends to fight it 

Britney Spears' lawyers went back to court in Los Angeles Tuesday to ask a judge to extend a 'civil harassment' restraining order against her ex manager, Sam Lutfi.

But after the singer's attorney revealed Britney is going through 'great anxiety' about the case, Judge Brenda Perry immediately sealed the courtroom, barring the press from hearing the testimony of three witnesses her legal team was calling to give evidence.

She later extended the restraining order till June 13 when another hearing will be held after two hours of listening to witness' testimony behind closed doors.

Britney's medical condition has made her 'vulnerable' and family issues raised in the resting order request 'are about the stability of her life,' attorney Samuel Ingham told the judge before reporters were ordered to leave.

Britney Spears' restraining order against her former manager Sam Lutfi will stay in place for roughly two weeks after a judge on Tuesday suspended a court hearing where he fought the restrictions as overly broad and unconstitutional
The restraining order alleges that Lutfi harassed and disparaged Spears and her family via social media and text messages

Britney Spears' restraining order against her former manager Sam Lutfi will stay in place for roughly two weeks after a judge on Tuesday suspended a court hearing where he fought the restrictions as overly broad and unconstitutional

While Britney, 37, was not in the courtroom, her father, Jamie Spears, did show up dressed in a dark suit and blue tie.

Lutfi - with shaved head and wearing a black jacket and dark jeans - was also at the hearing at Los Angeles Superior Court.

Spears was first granted a 'civil harassment' temporary restraining order on May 8 against Lutfi after claiming in court documents that Lutfi has been repeatedly texting Britney's mother Lynne, and trying to incite her fans with the #freebritney movement.

The singer's lawyers accused Lutfi of posting 'disparaging and threatening comments' against Spears and her family in recent weeks.

Her attorneys also claimed Lutfi had engaged in 'vigilante action, bribes and release of private information' to undermine the pop star's conservatorship and, said her attorneys, he sent a series of texts to Britney's mother Lynne Spears, 64, criticizing her for her lack of action amid the family crisis.

Lutfi has been critical on social media of a conservatorship that has left the singer under the control of the court and her father, adding his voice to a chorus of fans who want her 'freed'

Lutfi has been critical on social media of a conservatorship that has left the singer under the control of the court and her father, adding his voice to a chorus of fans who want her 'freed' 

The restraining order demands that Lutfi stay at least 200 yards from Britney, her parents and her two sons and to refrain from contacting or disparaging them

The restraining order demands that Lutfi stay at least 200 yards from Britney, her parents and her two sons and to refrain from contacting or disparaging them

According to court documents, Lutfi told the Spears family that he has 'trunks' of personal items of Britney's from when he managed her - and could make them public.

Lutfi fought the restraining order request, insisting that that he hasn't had contact with Britney since 2009, and he also claimed texts he sent to Lynne Spears were not enough justification for such a court order.

The former talent manager also countered that he was actually the one being disparaged by Britney after she accused him of forgery and impersonation in a video posted several weeks ago.

But after hearing that a restraining order would 'prevent future harm and further psychological trauma' to all parties involved, Los Angeles Superior Court Judge Brenda Penny issued the order which meant Lutfi must stay a minimum of 200 yards away from the singer, her two children, her parents and her boyfriend, Sam Asghari.

Spears was first granted a 'civil harassment' temporary restraining order on May 8

Spears was first granted a 'civil harassment' temporary restraining order on May 8

The singer was represented by the court-ordered conservatorship that is run by her father, Jamie, and has controlled most of her affairs for 11 years following a mental breakdown. He is pictured leaving the Los Angeles County Superior courthouse in 2008

The singer was represented by the court-ordered conservatorship that is run by her father, Jamie, and has controlled most of her affairs for 11 years following a mental breakdown. He is pictured leaving the Los Angeles County Superior courthouse in 2008

Britney's dispute with Lutfi comes at the same time as another court case involving her conservatorship which was enacted in 2008, following her shocking 2007 public breakdown and subsequent hospitalization.

Her father, Jamie Spears, 66, has been overseeing the conservatorship but her mother Lynne reportedly wants to take a bigger role in the care of her daughter.

On May 10, a judge ordered a full investigation into the status of Britney's conservatorship and also into her financial affairs, plus custody of her sons, Sean, 13, and Jayden, 12, which she currently shares with her ex-husband, Kevin Federline.

And last week, Jamie Spears filed a notice of intent to expand his daughter's conservatorship from California to three other states, Louisiana, Florida and Hawaii, where she has homes.

 

 

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Britney Spears' ex manager Sam Lutfi has his restraining order extended

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