Britney Spears’ father sought to fire her business manager because he circumvented court orders by providing the pop star with a car after she was released from a psychiatric ward, according to court documents released Monday.
Manager Howard Grossman also violated court orders by arranging meetings for her when she was released from the hospital Wednesday against her parents’ wishes, said papers filed by attorneys for James Spears, her temporary conservator.
The 26-year-old pop star was seen cruising around Los Angeles later that day in a Mercedes-Benz with a swarm of paparazzi on her tail.
“The temporary co-conservators have lost all confidence in their ability to work with Mr. Grossman,” because of his conduct, attorneys for James Spears wrote in papers seeking to fire the manager. The papers were sealed until after Grossman was served.
Court Commissioner Reva Goetz gave Spears’ temporary conservators the right to fire Grossman after a closed-door hearing Thursday in which they aired the allegations in the documents.
Grossman would not immediately comment on the documents when reached by The Associated Press. He has refused to say whether he was fired.
Jeryll Cohen, attorney for James Spears, said Grossman had been told that two of the troubled star’s cars were to be delivered from a dealership to the singer’s father, who was named temporary conservator of his daughter and her estate after she was deemed unfit to care for herself and manage her finances.
Grossman said he had one of the Mercedeses delivered to the hotel because his client requested it.
“Spears asked him to, and he wanted to comply with her request because he wanted to ‘build her confidence in him,’” according to Cohen’s declaration.
The delivery of the car violated a court order giving James Spears and attorney Andrew Wallet, the co-conservator of her estate, control of the singer’s assets.
Grossman also arranged for Spears to meet with attorney Adam Streisand at the Beverly Hills Hotel in violation of court orders preventing Spears from meeting with any lawyer without her father’s permission, according to the documents unsealed Monday.
Streisand unsuccessfully sought to represent Spears in court Feb. 4 when he argued that she told him by phone that she wanted her father removed as conservator. Goetz found that Spears lacked the capacity to hire her own lawyer.
Grossman said in an e-mail contained in the court records that some of the messages from Cohen were received after Britney Spears contacted him.
He said he rejected Spears’ request to give her a credit card. Under the terms of the conservatorship, he was not permitted to give Spears any money or credit cards.
The papers also claim Grossman refused to turn over e-mails from Sam Lutfi, Spears’ friend and sometime manager. Grossman said Lutfi demanded money in the e-mails.
Cohen said in a written declaration that Grossman did not comply with Lutfi’s demands, but that he “has since refused to provide copies of any such e-mails” to James Spears and his attorneys.
A restraining order was issued preventing Lutfi from contacting Spears. Goetz also ordered Spears not to have contact with Lutfi.
A hearing on the temporary conservatorship is scheduled for Thursday - the day it is set to expire.
Jeffrey Wexler, another attorney for James Spears, declined to comment.
