Prosecutors have decided not to file a charge against Britney Spears for allegedly swatting her housekeeper’s phone in a dispute at her home last month.
In a statement on Wednesday, Ventura County District Attorney Erik Nasarenko said there was insufficient evidence that a crime had occurred, and noted the lack of injury to the housekeeper or damage to the phone.
The housekeeper called the authorities on Aug. 16, after a fight over the veterinary care received by Spears’ dog.
“During the argument, Spears was alleged to have slapped a phone out of the housekeeper’s hand,” the D.A.’s office said Wednesday. “The housekeeper indicated that the screen protector to the phone was damaged. The housekeeper had no visible injuries.”
Mathew Rosengart, Spears’ attorney, expressed appreciation that the D.A.’s office rejected the case, and again called it “tabloid fodder.” He also alluded to the media’s past treatment of Spears, which has been the subject of reappraisal in the wake of “Framing Britney Spears,” the documentary about her conservatorship.
“If this involved Jane Doe rather than Britney Spears it would not have been pursued or covered at all,” Rosengart said in a statement. “Anyone can make an accusation but this should never have made it this far and we are glad the DA’s Office has done the right thing. Sadly, it is apparent that some have learned nothing from the past, and we sincerely hope the media and others will be more respectful of Ms. Spears in the future.”
Rosengart is seeking to have Spears’ father removed as the conservator of her estate. A hearing is set on that matter in Los Angeles probate court on Sept. 29. Her father, Jamie Spears, has said he is willing to step aside, but has not offered a timetable and suggested that he would do so once an overall agreement is negotiated.
In a filing earlier this week, Rosengart said there is no need to negotiate, and urged Judge Brenda Penny to remove him at the hearing.
