Britney Spears' Former Manager Sam Lutfi Seen for First Time in Black Hat After Being Ordered to Stay Away From Pop Star
Sam Lutfi, Britney Spears' former manager and the founder of the controversial 'Free Britney' [...]
Sam Lutfi, Britney Spears' former manager and the founder of the controversial "Free Britney" movement, has been seen in public for the first time since he was ordered to stay away from the pop star.
Lutfy has a long and contentious history with Spears, her fans and her family. The 44-year-old was hit with a temporary restraining order on Friday, forcing him to stay away from Spears. On Wednesday, Daily Mail reporters spotted him driving around Los Angeles.
Lutfi wore a plane black hat in the photos of his most recent sighting. He was driving around L.A. in a white car scowling through his window. Lutfi has been accused of contributing to the immense pressure on Spears since the early 2000s when he served as her manager.
On Wednesday, Spears went back to court yet again, according to TMZ, so that her mother, Lynne could gain access to her medical information. Fans were waiting for Spears at the Stanley Mosk courthouse, lined up in the hopes of seeing or perhaps even speaking to Spears.
Spears has been working to end the conservatorship that her father started over a decade ago. Her mother is backing that effort, having recently ended a long-standing feud with the pop star. Spears and her mother were estranged for years after Spears broke up with Justin Timberlake. After Spears' most recent trip to rehab, however, they rekindled their relationship, uniting against the conservatorship and Lutfi's continued harassment.
Lutfi has been accused of harassing both Spears and her family for years. More recently, he allegedly sent repeated unwanted texts to Lynne Spears, trying to counsel her on how to deal with her daughter. At the same time, Lutfi is accused of inciting fans into a frenzy with the controversial "Free Britney" hashtag online. In seeking the restraining order, Spears claimed that Lutfi's comments had caused her "substantial emotional distress."
Spears has been on a court-ordered permanent conservatorship of her father, Jamie Spears and her attorney, Andrew Wallet since 2008. At the time, Spears was put on a 5150 involuntary psychiatric hold and deemed unfit to manage her own affairs. However, things have been going well for the singer in the last few years, and now she is looking for a more permanent solution.
Still, the intercession of Lutfi and other die-hard fans is not helping Spears' case. The "Free Britney" movement began last month when Spears posted a video from a mental health facility she had checked herself into. The fans claimed, apparently with no clear proof, that Spears was being held against her will. As the chatter grew, Spears begged fans to give her some space.
"My situation is unique, but I promise I'm doing what's best at this moment," she wrote online. "Your love and dedication is amazing, but what I need right now is a little bit of privacy to deal with all the hard things that life is throwing my way."