It’s been a tumultuous year for Britney Spears so far. The singer only just left the wellness facility where she was receiving help coping with her father’s health problems, and another issue has already emerged. Per TMZ, Britney has filed a restraining order against her ex-manager, Sam Lutfi, alleging that he has been harassing the Spears family. And, unfortunately, the situation is made all the more complicated by the recent #freebritney movement on social media.
Legal documents reportedly obtained by TMZ allege that Lutfi has been sending unwelcome text messages to Britney’s mom, Lynne Spears, as well as posting “disparaging and threatening comments” on social media. The social media diatribes allegedly include encouraging the public to “raise hell” to liberate Britney from her conservatorship. Or, in other words, he has essentially pioneered the #freebritney movement — not, it would appear, to help Britney but rather to further his own agenda (whatever that might be). He even reportedly offered Lynne $1,000 to “disrupt and take over” the conservatorship, a proposition Lynne turned down. Britney’s team has the receipts too, having submitted screenshots of Lynne rejecting Lutfi’s bribe, according to Us Weekly.
The documents imply that Lufti’s bad behavior doesn’t stop at idle texts and social media meddling. He has threatened to release “trunks” of Britney’s old personal items that he has from the time period he acted as her manager in the early 2000s.
Britney Spears shared a video update for her fans, telling them not to believe everything they read and hear, particularly emails that “were crafted by Sam Lutfi years ago” that she didn’t write https://t.co/C8J4Rzph9dpic.twitter.com/FMJtHhvMmT
— LAT Entertainment (@latimesent) April 24, 2019
Britney’s lawyers reiterate in the documents that Lutfi is not good for the singer’s mental or emotional well-being, pointing to his “vigilante action, bribes and release of private information.” Accordingly, they feel a restraining order is a logical and necessary step to “prevent future harm and further psychological trauma.” To bolster their claims against Lutfi, Britney’s team pointed toward Courtney Love’s 2018 restraining order against him.
It’s unclear whether Lutfi fabricated the #FreeBritney movement on his own or whether he simply attempted to leverage the momentum. ICYMI, the movement centered on the theory that Brit was being held at the wellness facility against her will — and that, furthermore, the conservatorship had essentially stripped the singer of her autonomy. Comments and conspiracies regarding the situation went viral to the point that Britney referenced the drama last month in an Instagram video, saying, “Things that are being said have just gotten out of control!!! Wow!!! There’s rumors, death threats to my family and my team, and just so many crazy things being said. I am trying to take a moment for myself, but everything that’s happening is just making it harder for me. Don’t believe everything you read and hear.” (Interestingly, earlier this week Lynne requested to remain informed of developments to her daughter’s conservatorship. She reportedly would like to have a more prominent say in Britney’s care.)
Poor Brit! She seems to be trying to do the right thing for herself by staying on top of her mental health, but Lutfi’s involvement can’t be making that an easy task. If the court grants Britney’s team the restraining order, though, Lutfi will have to stay 200 yards away from everyone in the Spears family. Here’s hoping Britney is soon able to focus on herself.
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