Britney Spears and her family are involved in further legal drama involving former manager Sam Lutfi and what he's owed from the brief period in which he was in charge of the pop star's career. Or was he in charge at all? That question is one that must be answered before the end of this court case.
The last time Lutfi made an appearance in the Spears story was during 2012, when he was suing the vocalist's mother, Lynn Spears, for defamation due to claims she made in the memoir Through The Storm, alleging that Lutfi had cut off Spears from her family and had in fact drugged the performer to better exert control over her. That case was thrown out by a judge who determined that Lutfi couldn't establish malice to support his claim (from Billboard).
Now the focus has shifted to the contractual obligations of Britney and her family, if that contract exists at all. Although Lutfi has since gone on to manage for Amanda Bynes, the Spears family suggest that he never did any such thing for their daughter. He was working as a consultant for a gas station company when he met Spears during 2007. Spears like him and wanted him to be his manager—note this was during her infamous period of struggles with drugs—and he printed up a contract from the internet to seal the deal.
It would be less than a year before her family stepped in and pulled her from the situation.
Lutfi claimed he is owed, his payment being set as 15 percent of her income at the time of his employment (she was bringing in around $800,000 a month, even at her worst). The Spears family suggests that Lutfi's constantly-shifting testimony on the dates of his employment undermine the legitimacy of his charges, and the legitimacy of the contract in question. Appeals court judge Victoria Chavez disagrees, and the case will go to trial.
It's a long way from a win for Lutfi however. His reputation is far from the best in Los Angeles.
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