Lawyers Detail Brit Manager Problems, Lutfi Demands

In motion to fire Howard Grossman, conservators claim he defied court order by meeting Brit, getting her car

By Natalie Finn Feb 12, 2008 2:19 AMTags

Apparently there were reasons for pushing Britney Spears' manager out of the circle of trust.

In their motion requesting the authority to fire Howard Grossman, the attorneys representing the conservators of Britney's estate, her dad and lawyer Andrew Wallet, state that their relationship with Grossman "irreparably ruptured" after her release from the hospital.

Against their wishes, Grossman met with Britney at the Beverly Hills Hotel on Wednesday, even though he had expressly been informed via email "he was not permitted to give Britney " access to money or credit cards, or to meet with Britney at this time at the [hotel] or anywhere else," according to the motion filed Thursday in Los Angeles Superior Court. (View the motion.) 

Jamie was named temporary coconservator of Britney's welfare and finances on Feb. 1, the day after she was admitted to UCLA Medical Center's psych ward, effectively stripping the troubled popster with much of her decision-making power. Therefore, Jamie now has the power to "restrict and limit" his daughter's visitors "by any means," and he is entitled to oversight of all her assets, attorney Jeryll Cohen wrote.

Meanwhile, per court documents, Grossman went ahead and directed Mercedes-Benz of Beverly Hills to drop one of Britney's cars, which were being repaired, off at the hotel Wednesday without Jamie's or Wallet's knowledge. 

And apparently the conservators don't approve of the correspondence Grossman has been keeping lately, either.

Cohen contended in a separate declaration that Grossman informed him that Britney's hard-to-pin-down friend Sam Lutfi had emailed the business manager numerous times making "various demands, including demands for money." 

Grossman, who said he did not comply with Lutfi's demands, has since refused to turn the emails over to them, despite repeated requests, Cohen said.

L.A. Superior Court Commissioner Reva Goetz promptly granted Jamie and Wallet the power to give Grossman the boot and ordered Britney's ex-employee to hand "all documents, records and assets relating" to her and her estate over to the conservators.

The ostracized Lutfi, who, along with Britney's lawyers and psychiatrist, helped arrange for the 26-year-old's hospitalization, has been largely MIA since the singer's surprise release Wednesday and has yet to be served with the restraining order issued against him when Britney's parents assumed control of their daughter's affairs.

Lutfi finally showed his face Saturday, however, in time to attend Paris Hilton's birthday party at a West Hollywood club and deny rumors that Britney's been calling him.