LOS ANGELES (AP) — A judge has issued a five-year restraining order forbidding Britney Spears’ former manager from contacting the singer or her family or making disparaging statements about them online.
Judge Brenda Penny reached the decision Thursday after hearing testimony from the ex-manager, 44-year-old Sam Lutfi, and from Spears’ father, James Spears, who controls most of her affairs via a court-ordered conservatorship.
Penny rejected arguments from Lutfi’s attorney, Marc Gans, that the order is an unconstitutional restraint on his speech.
Gans said outside court that they are considering appealing.
James Spears in his testimony called Lutfi a predator who has harassed his family for more than a decade.
His lawyers argued that Lutfi has been trying to undermine the conservatorship and to incite fans to help him.
Britney Spears was not in court.
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