Britney Spears Is Under Investigation For Battery After A Dispute With A Staff Member

No one was injured in the alleged altercation between Spears and a member of her staff.

Britney Spears is under investigation for battery after a staff member accused the pop star of a physical altercation, according to the Ventura County Sheriff's Office.

The alleged incident took place on Monday around 10:25 a.m. in Spears' home when she and her employee had a confrontation. According to NBC News, Spears allegedly slapped the staffer's phone out of their hands. The staff member then called deputies to the house and filed reports with the sheriff's office.

"The staff member reported that during the dispute, Ms. Spears struck her," Capt. Eric Buschow of the Ventura County Sheriff's Office told BuzzFeed News. Deputies responded to Spears' home and investigated the incident.

The incident could be considered misdemeanor battery, and investigators' reports will be forwarded to the Ventura County District Attorney's Office for consideration of any charges.

Spears' lawyer, Mathew Rosengart, told BuzzFeed News the incident was pure hyperbole.

"This is overblown sensational tabloid fodder — nothing more than a manufactured ‘he said she said’ regarding a cell phone, with no striking and obviously no injury whatsoever," Rosengart said via email. "Anyone can make an accusation, but this should have been closed immediately.

"To its credit, the Sheriff’s office itself has said the incident was classified as a 'very minor misdemeanor' and confirmed 'there were no injuries,'" Rosengart added.

Police also responded to a call at Spears' home on Aug. 10., Buschow confirmed to BuzzFeed News.

"She apparently wanted to report a theft, but when deputies arrived, she decided she did not want to file a report," he said. The call did not lead to any law enforcement action, and deputies left the singer's home after Spears did not provide any further details.

News of the reports comes at the same time Spears is embroiled in a legal battle to regain control of her life and finances from a 13-year-long conservatorship. Her father, Jamie Spears, has for years argued she is unable to make major decisions on her own. He recently said he's preparing to at some point step down as conservator and hand over control to someone else.

BuzzFeed News has reached out to Jamie Spears' attorney for comment.

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