At a hearing concerning who has control over Britney Spears' medical, legal, and financial decisions, attorneys for her father, Jamie, argued that he should remain as her temporary conservator.
"Mr. Spears is here because his daughter is in great distress," attorney Jeryll Cohen told the court. "He's trying to get her better. In the meantime, while she is in great distress, she needs him to watch over her assets."
Cohen said that she has not been able to serve Britney's friend Sam Lutfi with a restraining order issued on Friday. "Late last night when we learned of his location, we sent out our process server, but Lutfi refused to answer the door," Cohen told the court.
Cohen said that Lutfi has spoken to Britney on the phone, a violation of the court's orders.
Britney's attorney maintained that Jamie should be removed as co-conservator because his daughter does not trust him.
"She has expressed a very strong desire that her father not be appointed conservator," attorney Adam Streisand said. "He has been estranged from her and this is causing her even more stress." Streisand, who admitted he has been denied access" to Britney, would not say how he has been retained.
Streisand said Britney wants the Northern Bank Trust and Howard Grossman, her business manager, to act as conservators.
"Ms. Spears' estate consists of $40 million in assets and is currently undergoing a $17 million IRS audit," Streisand said. "It's a $17 million audit against Jive records," Streisand later told Usmagazine.com
Following his statement, the judge asked Streisand to leave the courtroom. "I think the law should presume she has capacity until proven otherwise," Streisand told Us. "Britney got in touch with me. I can't go into specifics."
"I was referred to her through the Trope and Trope firm," Streisand told Us. Sorrell Trope, of the firm Trope and Trope, is usually Britney's attorney but Streisand told the press that Jamie and attorney Andrew Wallet, the co-conservator, wanted Trope off of Britney's ongoing custody case.
The next step, Streisand said, would be a hearing on whether she lacks capacity to retain an attorney.
On Friday, Jamie won temporary legal control over his daughter. He was also granted full control of her residence and can legally remove anyone who is staying there.
Wallet was named co-conservator. A court creates a conservatorship when it concludes a person no longer can care for themselves or their personal and financial affairs.
An insider told Usmagazine.com that it may be an uphill battle for Britney's attorney "because what child does get along with their parents when they are locked in the psych ward?"
Britney has been involuntarily hospitalized since early Thursday morning at the UCLA Medical Center. She is expected to be there for two more weeks while receiving treatment for severe bipolar disorder.
