NEWSSam Still Avoiding Restraining Order
Feb. 7 2008, Published 7:40 a.m. ET
Six days after Britney Spears' parents successfully filed a restraining order against Sam Lutfi, her near-constant companion and supposed "manager," an official for the court confirms to OK! that the singer's friend has still yet to be served with the document.
Allan Parrachini, the press officer for the court, announced Thursday morning that process servers have been unable to hand off the order to Sam, who the restraining order alleges has attempted to control every aspect of Britney's life. ( for all the details of the order.)
At a hearing on Monday, a court investigator admitted that they had been able to pin down Lutfi's location at the time, but that he refused to answer the door. It is illegal for a process server to enter a private home without permission.
So if Sam hasn't been technically served, does that mean he can still call and e-mail Britney? "Lawyers would have to debate that," said Parrachini. "It's one of those vague areas of this case."
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However, OK! has learned that just because Sam refuses to be served doesn't mean the restraining order isn't in effect. According to Parrachini, the only legal requirement is that the person be aware there is a restraining order in place. On Monday, OK! contacted Sam personally and told him about the revised restraining order against him.
So what's next? Jamie could hire a private security firm to deliver the restraining order papers on his behalf, but don't expect Sam to take them willingly. Over the summer, Kevin Federline's lawyer, Mark Vincent Kaplan, tried to have his security firm serve Sam with a subpoena to appear at a deposition. Sam ended up ramming his car into the server's car and speeding away.
It took Kaplan two more months to get the court order in Sam's hands.
