Britney is under investigation for battery but her lawyer says it's 'overblown sensational tabloid fodder'

In the never-ending saga of Britney Spears’ conservatorship fight and the renewed interest in the beleaguered songstress’s legal battles, it seems the “Toxic” singer takes two steps forward and then one step back. Just after her father Jamie Spears agreed to finally step down as her conservator, Britney is now under investigation for the alleged battery of an employee.

TMZ first broke the story that the Ventura County Sheriff’s Department is investigating the singer for battery, and Hollywood Life confirmed the story after speaking with Police Captain Eric Buschow, who stated, “Ultimately that investigation will be forwarded to the attorney’s office for review. It’s a minor misdemeanor battery [investigation].” No injuries have been reported.

While the Captain declined to go into the specifics of the case, TMZ has reported that it all began when the dog-sitter and the housekeeper began to suspect the dogs were being neglected by the “Baby One More Time” singer. This triggered a confrontation between Spears and the housekeeper, resulting in the alleged battery.

The TMZ report goes on to say that Spears’ dogs were taken away from her custody two weeks ago when the dog-sitter had them checked up by the vet and then never returned them to Britney’s custody, believing they weren’t safe in her care. As reported by Page Six, Britney was the one to call the Ventura County Sherriff’s Department to report the theft, but when the police arrived, she is said to have backed off and no theft charges were laid.

This past Monday, when Britney still did not have her dogs, a confrontation ensued with the housekeeper. A source told TMZ that a struggle ensued where the housekeeper’s phone was knocked out of her hands because Britney was upset the housekeeper was taking photos of the dogs inside her home. Britney’s camp says it was the phone that was struck, but another law enforcement insider says the housekeeper stated Britney struck her on the arm.

A Sheriff's Dept. official has told the outlet that the file will be sent to the District Attorney’s office once the police investigation is complete, and it will be reviewed for a possible misdemeanor battery charge.

However, Britney’s attorney Mathew Rosengart has a different take on the situation. “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,” he told Hollywood Life. “Anyone can make an accusation but this should have been closed immediately.”

Britney, who has been very active on her official Instagram account lately, has not yet directly addressed the incident.

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