Britney Spears' assistant served

Dec 3, 2007, 13:30 GMT

12/02/2007 - Britney Spears - Scandinavian Style Mansion - Private Residence - Bel Air, CA, USA © David Gabber / PR Photos

Britney Spears' friend-and-assistant Sam Lufti has finally been subpoenaed to give evidence in the singer's custody battle.

The 'Gimme More' singer's confidante was due to appear in court for questioning on Friday (30.11.07), but did not attend so the case has been rescheduled for January.

Lufti has long evaded attempts to serve him with the court order, but on November 7 Britney's ex-husband Kevin Federline's legal team successfully issued him with the deposition.

Kevin's lawyer Mark Vincent Kaplan said: "Lufti was in the parking lot of a place in Hollywood. My process server asked if he was Sam Lutfi, he said yes. The subpoena was handed to him, but he wouldn't take it. So it was dropped, literally on him. But if someone refuses to take it in their hand and you drop it at their feet, they are served.

"We will seek a court order to ensure he attends the hearing in January."

Lutfi is due in court on December 18 regarding a "vehicle vandalism incident" on August 27, which occurred while he was attempting to avoid being subpoenaed.

He allegedly rammed his Mercedes into a Range Rover driven by Aaron Cohen, a process server hired by Kaplan to serve the subpoena.

A police officer at the crash scene described the collision as "assault with a deadly weapon", but Los Angeles Police Department officials state the case is now being considered a "vehicle vandalism incident".

Meanwhile, Kaplan has issued a statement denying Federline plans to seek more child support.

He said: "Every two months, rumours have been raised in the media that Mr. Federline's lawyers are about to go into court to get more money for child support. Persistent questions are again being raised now in the press about the timing of when that will happen.

"As I've said, I know where to find the courthouse and what to do when I get there. If Mr. Federline had wanted to increase child support, it would be very easy to achieve and would have been requested long before now. There has not been and is not now a request before the court for a modification of child support. Mr. Federline's purpose in bringing this action continues to be one that is based upon the best interest of the children as his highest priority."

Federline currently has temporary full custody of sons Sean Preston, two and 14-month-old Jayden James while Spears has three supervised visits a week, one being an overnight visit.

(C) BANG Media International