Britney Spears, Justin Timberlake Break-Up "Changed" Spears, Left Her Depressed
The ongoing trial between Britney Spears, her family and her former manager Sam Lutfi continues to reveal startling private information about the pop star's life.
The latest revelation came Friday, during the opening statement of Leon Gladstone, the attorney of Spears' father Jamie Spears.
Gladstone told the court that when Spears' relationship with Justin Timberlake ended in 2003, the break-up marked the beginning of a change in behavior for Spears and led her to a dark, downward spiral of depression.
"[Britney and Justin] had a big relationship, and it ended painfully," the attorney said. "In 2003 her parents noticed that she had changed over the breakup of her and Justin and noticed she was depressed. ... [Britney] went to Vegas and got married to a childhood friend for 55 hours and they realized that she was becoming distant with her parents and become concerned she was using illegal substances."
Gladstone's opening statement also contained a defense of Jamie Spears and his actions, which included forcing his daughter to enter rehab and putting her under a conservatorship that left her father in charge of all her business and personal decisions.
"This is a story of a close family, but not a perfect one," Gladstone said. "It's a story of a man who actually wanted nothing more for his daughter than to live and be well. It's a story of a father who has had to step up and take action that he never thought he would have to take ... actions that didn't perhaps endear his daughter to him."
Lutfi is suing Spears for 15 percent of her wages for the eight months he worked as her manager in 2007, which he claims Spears promised him but never actually paid out. Lutfi's attorney alleged in early testimony that Spears had a serious amphetamine addiction and that Lutfi found a baggie of white powder in Spears' home that she admitted was crystal meth.
