Britney Spears "OD'd on Amphetamines"

The libel lawsuit filed by Britney Spears' ex-manager opened yesterday, and is going to get messy, with startling accusations flying around of rampant drug use by the pop princess. Sam Lufti, who managed Britney Spears during the peak of her meltdown in 2007, is suing her parents, Jamie and Lynn Spears. He claims their remarks about him being manipulative and taking advantage of Britney ruined his career, and that he didn't receive proper compensation for his work. As The Fix exclusively reported, Lutfi was set to make 15% of Spears' gross earning as her manager, or $120,000 per month—and Lutfi claims that Britney Spears, who is under a conservatorship and won't be allowed to appear as a witness at the trial, is being gagged to prevent her testifying in his favor. His lawyer, Joseph Schleimer, alleges that Lutfi tried to save Britney from her prescription pill addiction. And his opening statement yesterday declared not only that Britney OD'd on amphetamines the night she was strapped to a stretcher and sent to a mental hospital in January 2008, but that her infamous head-shaving was done so traces of drugs couldn't be found in her hair follicles.

"[Sam Lutfi] was made a scapegoat for the drug abuse and erratic behavior of Britney Spears," said Schleimer. "She liked to use amphetamines—speed or uppers. She liked to take that drug. And most of the things that went wrong were related to that drug." He continued, ''My client has never been paid for serving as her manager. He was made famous as the guy who drugged Britney Spears and put her in the hospital. The evidence will show the defendants ruined my client's reputation.'' But the presiding judge seemed less than impressed, stating: ''Everything you say, you have to be able to back it up. You can't waste time on statements just thrown in the air. Everything has to have evidence...I'm trying to make a point and I hope you get it."