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A restraining order against Britney Spears’ pal and sometime
manager Sam Lutfi was extended Wednesday to July 31 after an attorney told the
judge it was a unanimous decision among parties.
An attorney for Britney Spears’ father, Jaime, appeared
Wednesday before Superior Court Judge Aviva K. Bobb to ask for the extension of
a restraining order against Sam Lutfi, the 26-year-old singer’s so-called pal
and self-described manager.
“We believe this is in the best interests of Miss Spears,”
attorney Vivian Thoreen told the judge, as quoted by Reuters. Lutfi was not in
court.
The attorney added that lawyers for both sides had agreed on
the extension and presented a document with Lutfi’s signature. Thoreen said Spears’s
father, Lutfi and Andrew Wallet, an attorney who is co-conservator of the
singer’s estate, agreed to continue the hearing on the restraining order to
July 31.
The restraining order was requested by Spears’ parents when
she was hospitalized on a psychiatric hold earlier this year. In documents
filed when seeking the order, Lynne Spears described how Lutfi, whom her
daughter allegedly met in October 2007, had attempted to take control of her
life.
“Mr. Lutfi has essentially moved into Britney's home and has
purported to take control of her life, home and finances,” Lynne wrote in her
declaration.
The order, which was to expire Wednesday, forbids Lutfi from
coming closer than 250 yards of the 26-year-old mother of two and her home, as
well as the homes of her family members. He is not allowed to contact her in
any way.
The restraining order has been extended before, with the
acquiescence of both parties. In mid-March, Lutfi spokesman Michael Sands said
an agreement had been reached between Lutfi and the conservatorship for another
30 days. “Both parties are happy and will continue to work together to further
resolve any issues that may have come up in the past,” he concluded.
Superior Court Commissioner Reva Goetz transferred the
matter to Bobb’s court because Lutfi objected to having a commissioner hear it
instead of a judge. Bobb is the supervisory judge for probate matters. Goetz
will continue to handle the conservatorship of Britney Spears and her estate.
Sands said in a statement, referring to the new extension: “Sam
and the family are communicating and cooperating trying to do what’s best for
Britney.”
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