Fame Pictures Inc. Sam Lutfi is doing his best to make sure the Britney Spears circus keeps on rolling.
Four days after the pop star was granted a temporary restraining order against former manager turned meltdown-enabler Lutfi and onetime paparazzo paramour Adnan Ghalib, Lutfi has filed suit against Spears and her parents for allegedly trashing his name.
While Britney, Jamie and Lynne Spears are all named in the suit, Lutfi claims in court documents that it was Spears' parents who "began a campaign of slander, libel and defamation aimed at discrediting, destroying and physically and emotionally intimidating Lutfi in order to drive him out of Britney's life."
As for the singer herself, Lutfi accuses her of breach of contract and claims she still owes him unpaid management fees for her time under his pill-mashing thumb.
There was no immediate comment from team Spears on the complaint, which accuses Britney's parents of fueling her infamous meltdown.
"When Britney's life was, very publicly, spiraling out of control, Jamie and Lynne failed to offer their fragile daughter the guidance or emotional support she desperately needed," the papers state, before going on to paint Lutfi as the white knight in Britney's life.
"From October 2007 through February 2008, under Lutfi's management and guidance, Britney began turning her life and career around. During this time, Lutfi also actively encouraged Britney to reconcile with Jamie and Lynne. However, no good deed goes unpunished."
Lutfi claims that Britney's parents viewed his involvement in the star's life as a "threat to their lifestyle" and began the campaign to "drive him out of Britney's life."
He blames Jamie and Lynne for everything from his damaged rep to Britney's failed love life.
"Jamie and Lynne set out to destroy anyone and anything that came between them and Britney; first by pressuring and cajoling Britney into annulling her marriage to longtime friend, Jason Alexander; and later by interfering with Britney's marriage to Kevin Federline."
He points to Lynne's recent book, Through the Storm, as a source of libel, claiming it is filled with "false statements" about his actions and character. He specifically takes issue with passages that allege he hid Britney's cell phones and dog and that he disabled her vehicles to prevent her from leaving her property.
Lutfi claims the singer introduced herself to him at a nightclub in early 2007 and that he reluctantly began a business relationship "out of concern for Britney and her well-being."
In his papers he cites a text message received from Spears on Oct. 13, 2007 that read, in part, "Sam, so that's fine, I want you to be my manager. You were right it's 15 percent of my money but for 4 years not 5."
Lutfi pegs her 2007 monthly income at $800,000 and says it was likely more in 2008, but claims he has yet to receive any payment.
Last Friday, Spears' conservatorship was granted an order barring Lutfi and Ghalib from having any contact with the singer.
According to paperwork filed with the request, Lutfi had ramped up his efforts in recent months to undermine the conservatorship by threatening Jamie Spears with the release of "utterly false" accusations about the Spears family, as well as by attempting to get into touch with Britney via members of her entourage.
—Additional reporting by Whitney English
(Originally published on Feb. 3, 2009 at 1:00 p.m. PT)