Wednesday, February 25, 2009

Britney Spears's Hairstylist Testifies Against Sam Lutfi

The following italicized article is from www.people.com:

Britney Spears's hairstylist testified in a Los Angeles courtroom Wednesday that the singer's ex-manager, Sam Lutfi, harassed her with calls and text messages over a period of three weeks last December.

"Someone kept calling me from a private number ... he said his name was Sam," Roberta Romero stated Wednesday. "He wanted information about Britney He said he was on her side. I told him, 'Leave me alone, stop calling me.' "

Lutfi allegedly sent Romero a series of 11 texts within a four day period, saying things like, "Please relay the truth to her. I did not do this to her," apparently referring to Jamie Spears's indefinite control over the singer's life. Lutfi also allegedly texted Romero: "I've done everything I can to free her from this. Very close to getting her free now." On another occasion he allegedly wrote: "I went to court to free her." Romero says she repeatedly told Lutfi to leave her alone via text.

Restraining Order Extended

The hearing was held to determine whether to uphold a restraining order, filed by Britney's father, against Lutfi and ex-boyfriend Adnan Ghalib. After three hours of proceedings, the restraining orders were extended to March 18, with the case to resume April 1 to hear more witnesses.

Romero testified about an evening on Dec. 27 when she and Britney went to watch The Curious Case of Benjamin Button. Lutfi had been sending text messages to Romero that evening, and later, the two women texted back, "Leave me the [expletive] alone."

At some point that evening, Lutfi texted Romero, "Can you wish her a Merry Christmas for me?" At 2 a.m., the women sought help from the singer's bodyguard, Itamar Gelbman, who also testified in court.

The Bodyguard Steps In

"[Britney] complained Sam was texting her, and that she's scared," Gelbman said in court. "She asked for more patrols [around the house]. She wanted me to do more, to make sure everything was locked. She couldn't fall asleep because of [Sam's texts to Romero]. She told me to make him stop." Gelbman says he immediately called Lutfi and told him to leave the women alone.

Lawyers for Jamie Spears said Lutfi had been subpoenaed Tuesday night for cross-examination in court. The process server taped a notice to appear on his car windshield, they said, but Lutfi failed to show up.

His attorney, Bryan Freedman, claimed that Lutfi wasn't properly served, and has denied that his client has been harassing the singer.

Source: People

No comments:

Post a Comment