Sam Lutfi, one of the more controversial and enigmatic figures in the Britney Spears drama, today filed suit against Britney and her parents, Jamie and Lynne Spears, accusing them of libel, defamation, battery, intentional infliction of emotional distress and breach of contract.
Lutfi, for a time claimed to be Britney’s manager, even though it was never certain what part of her life he was managing. So little was known about him that, for a time, fact-checkers in the media weren’t even certain if his last name was Lufti or (correctly) Lutfi.
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In the suit (which Access Hollywood acquired today) Lutfi says that from October 2007 - February 2008, under Lutfi’s management, Britney began turning her life around. He also claims he urged Britney to reconcile with her parents. But, Lutfi says that seeing Lutfi’s involvement with Britney as a threat to their lifestyle, Jamie and Lynne launched a campaign to destroy Lutfi and drive him out of Britney’s life.
Lutfi says he and Britney met in early 2007 at a nightclub in LA and that Britney asked Lutfi if he knew of any lawyers who could help her get a restraining order against her family. She started sending him text messages and called him numerous times. From that point she sought Lutfi’s advice with “almost every important decision relating to her life.”
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Lutfi also lays out a scenario of how he became Britney’s manager, saying he accompanied Britney to a meeting at her record label in September of 2007 about the album “Blackout.” When record execs were reluctant to discuss details in front of Lutfi, Britney informed them Lutfi was her new “manager.” So beginning in October 2007, he performed a variety of services for her including scheduling doctors visits, planning birthday parties for the children, hiring a company to install new chandeliers, hiring and firing personal assistants, etc.
Lutfi’s claim for Breach of Contract results from what he says was an oral agreement he and Britney entered into in October 2007 whereby Lutfi would serve as Britney’s manager for four years. Lutfi was to be compensated with 15% of Britney’s income during that time. He claims Britney sent him a text message on October 13, 2007 that confirmed their agreement.
Regarding Lynne Spears’ book, “Through the Storm,” Lutfi says she made numerous false claims in it and that, “since the publication of the book, Lutfi has been subjected to unfathomable amounts of ridicule and public scorn. Lutfi is constantly bombarded by magazine headlines, television shows and internet gossip sites that have propagated Lynne’s lies and fabrications.”
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Lutfi’s battery claim sites an incident from January 29, 2008, when, “Lutfi was standing in the kitchen of Britney’s residence when Jamie burst into the house. Lutfi claims Jamie immediately charged at him, screaming that he had been told that Lutfi had made a rude comment that night. Then, upon reaching Lutfi, Jamie intentionally punched him in the chest. Jamie then threatened to kill Lutfi if he ever again made a rude comment about Lynne or any of the other members of his family.”
A call to Britney’s attorney was not returned by our deadline.
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