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Britney Spears Case: Restraining Orders Extended

Order came on same day paparazzo ex-boyfriend Adnan Ghalib pleaded not guilty in assault case.

A judge ruled on Wednesday to extend the restraining orders against [artist id="501686"]Britney Spears[/artist]' former self-proclaimed manager, boyfriend and lawyer.

According to a Reuters report, after hearing claims from Spears' father and the singer's hairdresser that the three men tried to undermine father Jamie Spears' control over the pop star's affairs, Los Angeles Superior Court Judge Aviva K. Bobb extended a temporary restraining order against former manager Sam Lutfi and paparazzo ex-boyfriend Adnan Ghalib. The order is now in place until March 18, while

cKkG3NZFb.nQA" target="othersite">another restraining order, against lawyer Jon Eardley, who also once claimed to represent Spears, was extended until April 1.

Earlier in the week, Jamie Spears had testified that Lutfi and Ghalib allegedly conspired to sneak a cell phone to Britney in violation of the court order to stay away and not interfere with the conservatorship that gives him control over Britney's affairs. In testimony in the restraining-order case,

.html" target="othersite">E! News reported that hairstylist Roberta Romero, who reportedly found and turned over the surreptitious cell phone, claimed that she received several "harassing" text messages from Lutfi in December in which he sought to get back in touch with Spears.

One of those texts allegedly said, "So please just relay to [Britney] the truth so she can free herself," while another read, "I'm very close to getting her free now ... her family sent her to the hospital."

Romero testified that Britney eventually asked her to stop contact with Lutfi. One of the singer's bodyguards said that Romero and Spears informed him of the texts, which had reportedly frightened Spears and which led to a

.html" target="othersite">beefing up of the singer's security team.

Bobb will rule on March 18 and April 1 whether to extend the restraining orders. Spears, who is gearing up for the [news id="1605788"]launch of her Circus tour[/news], was not present for the rulings.

The rulings came on the same day that Ghalib turned himself in to face felony charges for allegedly hitting a process server with his car; the server was reportedly trying to present the tabloid photographer with a restraining order from Spears' family. Ghalib, 36, pleaded not guilty to one count of assault with a deadly weapon, battery and hit-and-run in the alleged February 11 incident. He was booked and released without posting bail. If convicted he faces up to seven years in jail.

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