A judge heard testimony in closed session Tuesday on whether to grant Britney Spears an extension of a temporary restraining order against the singer’s self-described former manager, but the hearing did not conclude and will resume next month.
Los Angeles Superior Court Judge Brenda J. Penny granted a request by Spears’ attorneys to close the hearing to the public, finding that doing so would be in the best interests of the mental health of the 37-year-old singer. Spears has been under a conservatorship since 2008 after she began exhibiting bizarre behavior, such as shaving her head bald. Her father, Jamie, spearheaded the conservatorship effort.
Pending the resumption of the hearing on June 13, Osama “Sam” Lutfi must still stay at least 200 yards from the singer, her parents, her two children and her sister, Jamie Lynn.
She has denied Lutfi was ever her manager.
Outside the courtroom at the conclusion of the session, Lutfi’s lawyer, Marc Gans, said his client had finished his testimony and that Jamie Spears had taken the stand and started his testimony.
At the start of the hearing, Jamie Spears’ attorney, Chad Hummel, said lawyer Geraldine Wyle, who has worked on the Spears estate since the beginning, is also a possible witness.
Spears was granted a similar order against Lutfi in 2008 that expired several years later. Her attorneys said the current restraining order was needed “to prevent future harm and further psychological trauma” to the singer.
Spears’ lawyers maintain in their court papers that Lutfi has sent harassing and threatening texts and tweets to Spears and her family. They also maintain Lutfi is trying to disrupt her conservatorship and release private information about her.
The singer, who was released earlier this month from a Los Angeles facility where she received treatment for undisclosed mental health issues, was not present for the hearing.
Gans has called the TRO unconstitutional. He did not speak up against the closing of the courtroom.