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CRISIS MANAGEMENT: Britney Spears' assets have been put in the control of her father while she is in a psychiatric institution.
A Los Angeles court has placed the assets of troubled pop singer Britney Spears under the temporary control of her father while she remains hospitalised under psychiatric care.
Speaking outside the Los Angeles courthouse, Superior Court public information officer Allan Parachini said the "temporary conservatorship" was in place until Monday afternoon, at which time a new hearing will take place.
The conservatorship cedes control over the singer's liquid assets, including her home, to Jamie Spears, who petitioned the court for control in an emergency hearing on Friday.
In addition, the court issued a "civil harassment restraining order" against Sam Lutfi, Parachini said.
Lutfi is Spears' self-styled manager and confidante, who has been seen with the singer almost constantly in recent months as her life has seemed to spin out of control.
Spears' father now has the ability to supercede any other powers-of-attorney that may have been issued by the singer, cancel contracts she may have signed and bar people from visiting her in the Los Angeles area hospital.
On Thursday, Spears was taken from her home by ambulance to the UCLA Medical Centre in Los Angeles and admitted for a three-day psychiatric evaluation.
Spears, 26, has seen her personal life spin out-of-control since she filed for divorce from ex-husband Kevin Federline in November 2006. She has spent time in rehab and been embroiled in a custody battle with Federline over their two children.
She has been ordered by a court to undergo random drug testing, and in early January was also hospitalized after going into a fit of hysterics when representatives of Federline tried to retrieve the children from a visit with Spears.
Reuters
