Britney Spears Trial

Britney Spears has paid the law firm of her lawyer, Mathew Rosengart, millions of dollars in legal fees, and our sources say members of her team became agitated enough that Rosengart has now agreed to provide free legal services for the immediate future.

Sources with direct knowledge tell TMZ, Britney has paid Rosengart's firm $4,201,856 for the period November 2021 through March 2023. That represents the legal work Rosengart performed mostly after the conservatorship ended.

Our sources say that figure represents only a part of what Britney has paid Rosengart's firm, and that the fees now approach $6 million total.

We're told Britney's team pushed back on Rosengart over his fees, and the lawyer has now agreed to work pro bono for the remainder of the case against Jamie Spears.

We know Rosengart has been providing legal services in various areas of Britney's life, including ending the conservatorship, an ongoing case against Jamie, music, her book deal and other matters.

Rosengart has been critical of some of the eye-popping lawyers fees connected to the conservatorship. According to legal docs filed by Rosengart, dozens of lawyers in the 13-year-long conservatorship case made a total of more than $30 million.

Britney was reportedly worth $60 million when the conservatorship ended. Our sources say it's now a lot less.

We reached out to Rosengart and his law firm for comment ... so far, no word back.

Britney Spears' father Jamie is THRILLED after beating Brit's ex-manager Sam Lutfi in court -- but tells TMZ, the victory is bittersweet.

We just spoke to Jamie on the phone, and he tells us, he's pleased the judge tossed out Sam's defamation lawsuit against the Spears family -- before it went to jury -- but he expressed disappointment at not being able to take the stand and tell the "real" story.

Jamie says it was painful to relive the darkest days of Britney's life -- when he thought Britney might actually die -- but no one took it harder than Brit's mom Lynne.

Jamie says Britney hasn't spoken to Lutfi in four or five years.

As we reported, an L.A. judge dismissed Lutfi's lawsuit against the Spears family yesterday for lack of evidence -- a lawsuit in which Lutfi claimed the Spears family defamed him, physically attacked him, and breached a management contract he had with Britney.

As for Britney's conservatorship -- Jamie says he DOES foresee an end, but he's not sure when exactly.

Britney Spears' family just scored a HUUUUGE victory in their legal war with Sam Lutfi -- the judge just THREW OUT Sam's entire case against the family ... finding he presented no evidence that they ever did anything wrong.

Lutfi had filed a lawsuit -- claiming the various members of the Spears family had defamed him, attacked him and breached a management contract he said he had with Britney.

During his testimony, Lutfi slammed the Spears family ... arguing that Britney was an out-of-control drug addict ... and her family wrongly painted him as the villain.

But today, before the case even went to the jury, the judge decided Lutfi had no case whatsoever against any members of the Spears family ... and tossed his case out of court.

Britney Spears' ex-boyfriend Adnan Ghalib swears ... Brit's mom directed him to LIE to the media in 2008 in order to make Sam Lutfi seem like an evil man who caused Britney's mental breakdown.

Ghalib -- a paparazzo who briefly dated Britney during her meltdown -- just took the stand in Lutfi's defamation trial, claiming Lynne Spears personally ordered him to trash Lutfi all over town in order to turn the public against Sam.

Adnan didn't state whether he ever actually followed Lynne's alleged instructions.

Jamie Spears took the stand moments later, admitting he once "touched" Lutfi during a physical altercation ... but denied violently attacking him. Lutfi had previously testified that Jamie beat the crap out of him and punched him in the solar plexus.

Britney Spears' ex-nanny -- who called BS on Sam Lutfi's accusation the singer hid crystal meth in her house -- is a liar and a fraud ... so says Sam Lutfi.

Sam is telling friends, there's no way Brit's ex-nanny Leah Frand could have known that the singer had crystal meth in the house ... because she was fired after only one week.

Sam's claims contradict what Leah told us last week ... that she worked for Britney for 6 months back in 2007 -- during the crazy meltdown period -- and never once saw any trace of drugs.

But Sam's saying that's not true -- telling friends Leah was quickly canned for stealing one of Britney's dresses (which she later returned) ... so her opinion counts for exactly zero.

According to sources, Sam also wants to clarify one thing -- he never said Britney did crystal meth, only that he found a stash of crystal meth in her house.

Jamie Spears never laid a finger on Sam Lutfi's solar plex, despite Lutfi's testimony that Britney's daddy punched him in the chest and threatened to kill him -- so says Britney's ex-nanny Leah Frand.

Frand tells us Lutfi's claims are utter BS.

Frand says she should know, because she worked for Britney for 6 months in 2007 -- at the height of Brit's crazy period, around the time she was 5150'd and sent to UCLA Medical Center.

Britney Spears' former nanny is calling BS on Sam Lutfi ... telling TMZ he's straight up LYING about Britney using meth ... and says Sam may have even planted the drugs as a manipulation tactic.

We spoke with Leah Frand -- who worked for Britney for roughly 6 months back in 2007 ... and says she lived at Brit's home and was around the pop star 24/7.

Leah tells us point blank, "I have never seen meth in that house or any type of drug."

As we previously reported, Lutfi made claims in court that he found a bag of meth in the house around the time of Britney's meltdown. In fact, Lutfi claimed Britney was so paranoid about getting caught, she shaved her head so officials couldn't test her hair for drugs.

Frand tells us ... Sam is a "low life loser" who was so desperate to stay in Britney's world, he may have planted the drugs in her home ... as part of a diabolical scheme to become her life coach.

Leah also claims Sam was never employed by Britney in any capacity -- "I don't know what the hell he was doing [in her life] honestly ... being Britney's bitch basically and not getting paid for it."

We reached out to Lutfi for comment -- so far, no response.

FYI -- If Leah looks familiar ... it's because she was the passenger in Britney's car when she ran over our photog's foot back in 2007. Don't worry ... the car was not injured.

Britney Spears' father Jamie Spears sent a text message to Sam Lutfi back in 2007 ... threatening to beat the crap out of him so badly, he'd wind up in the hospital ... so says Lutfi.

Lutfi is on the stand in his defamation case against Britney and her family ... and has asked the judge for permission to use the text message as evidence in the trial.

According to Lutfi, the text reads, "If and when I met u one thing is going to happen I am going to jail and u r going to the hospital."

The judge has not decided whether or not the jury will be allowed to see the text.

During today's hearing ... Lutfi says Jamie made good on his threats and attacked him at Britney's house. Lutfi claims Jamie punched him in the solar plexus and threatened to kill him.

Sam says he eventually locked himself inside a game room to get away from Jamie.

Britney Spears' former manager just took the stand in his defamation case against the singer's family ... insisting he NEVER enabled Brit with Adderall ... despite allegations to the contrary.

Sam Lutfi testified in open court moments ago .. that he has an Rx for Adderall because of his ADD -- he takes two doses a day -- but he's adamant ... he never shared his meds with Britney ... or anyone else.

Britney's mother Lynne had accused Sam of fueling the singer with drugs, but Sam says that's just not true.

Britney's parents Jamie and Lynne Spears were photographed arriving to court this afternoon looking battle-ready.

As Sam Lutfi tries to drag Britney Spears through the mud in his defamation trial against mama Lynne Spears, we gotta ask ....

In their opening statements, lawyers for Lynne Spears and the conservatorship told the jury ... Sam tried to look like a savior to Britney and would stoop so low as to emotionally torture her.

Lawyers for the defense in the Britney Spears trial have just blamed Britney's breakup with Justin Timberlake for her downward spiral that ultimately got her 5150'd, TMZ has learned.

According to a lawyer for Lynne Spears and Britney -- who made opening statements for the defense just moments ago -- the breakup with Justin ended in pain and sent the singer in a downward spiral.

According to the lawyer, prior to the relationship with Justin, Britney was a "ray of light." But after the breakup ... she became "angered and depressed."

Interesting ... because based on JT's "Cry Me a River" video, we were under the impression that he dumped Britney's ass because she cheated on him.

Sam Lutfi lies ... because we have video of the man going after Britney Spears' family in court ... saying THE OPPOSITE of what his lawyer claimed in court -- that Britney shaved her head while in a paranoid, drug-fueled state.

TMZ shot video of Lutfi back in 2010, and we asked him about the incident. Sam NEVER said anything about drugs. To the contrary, he told our photog he thought Britney shaving her head was "a cool thing ... somebody expressing their artistic side."

Lutfi went on ... "I think she was just expressing her independence and her freedom ... there's nothing wrong with Britney. She's awesome."

Britney Spears took a huge amount of amphetamines the night she was strapped to a stretcher and placed on a 5150 hold -- so claims Sam Lutfi's lawyer in the opening statements of his defamation case.

Lutfi's lawyer, Joseph Schleimer, told the jury, on January 28, 2008, Britney had an amphetamine script filled. Schleimer says she took 6 to 8 pills early in the day, and several more later and went off the rails.

Lutfi's lawyer also said he tried to get Britney to meet with a psychiatrist 2 days before she was 5150'd, but Brit refused.

And there's this ... during Britney's disastrous appearance on the MTV Awards in 2007, Lutfi felt she was such a mess she shouldn't do it, because she was overweight and didn't rehearse, but Britney wouldn't hear it.

Britney Spears was super-paranoid that her hair contained traces of the hardcore drugs she was using -- and that's why she SHAVED IT ALL OFF during her infamous 2007 meltdown ... at least according to Sam Lutfi.

Sam's lawyer, Joseph Schleimer, has been telling the court ... Britney was a serious drug-abuser ... who had a penchant for crystal meth.

Schleimer suggested Britney was concerned that a judge would test her hair for drugs -- and when it turned up positive, she would lose custody of her kids.

So, Britney ... being Britney ... believed that if she chopped off her hair, she could beat the drug test ... at least that's what Lutfi's lawyer is implying.