Spears
Stalking Case Termed 'Misunderstanding'
Britney Spears' troubles with an alleged
Japanese stalker, accused of sending love notes to the pop princess, are due
to a "cultural misunderstanding," the man's lawyer said on Friday.
Spears, 21, is seeking a restraining
order against Masahiko Shizawa, 41, of Yokohama, Japan, claiming he had sent
her photos of himself and a note saying "I'm chasing you."
But Shizawa's lawyer told a brief
court hearing that the legal fray was due to a "cultural
misunderstanding."
"He's a VIP in Japan. He had no
intent" to disturb her, lawyer Simon Hiller said, without expanding his
remarks.
Shizawa was not in court for the
hearing on the request for the restraining order, which was delayed for a
month. Spears' lawyer declined to comment on the case, which will now be heard
on Feb. 28.
According to the syndicated TV show
"Celebrity Justice," he has been forced to return to Japan, where he
is reportedly a millionaire computer programmer, after his U.S. visa expired,
and has twice been stopped while trying to return to the United States.
Spears has asked that Shizawa be kept
1,000 yards away from her house, workplace, car and any other place that she
might travel to. She alleges in court papers that Shizawa has been stalking
her since last September, tracking her to the homes of her divorced parents,
her California home, and a home she owns outside the state.
The "Oops! I did it again"
star, who was the teen pop phenomenon of the late 1990s, is currently taking a
break from the recording business after a hectic five years at the top.
reuters.com |
Britney Lost Skechers Tens Of Millions Of
Dollars, Company Says
Skechers USA,
maker of trendy boots, sneakers, roller skates and other footwear, is fuming
mad at pop star Britney Spears, who filed a $1.5 million lawsuit against the
company last Christmas. So Skechers is volleying back a multimillion-dollar
countersuit within the next two months.
The mess all started when Britney accused Skechers of failing to properly
promote her line of roller skates and other products. The footwear
company says it was actually Britney who skated out on the three-year deal,
leaving Skechers' wheels spinning. "We did not get any value out of the
money we gave her," Skechers attorney Daniel Petrocelli said.
Petrocelli insisted Spears has been in violation of her contract for well over
a year. Although she was offered multiple designs and manufacturers for her
line of clothing and skating accessories, she failed to approve them in time
for Skechers to market the products to consumers in time for key selling
seasons. As a result, the company lost tens of millions of dollars, Petrocelli
said.
He added that for months Skechers told Spears she was in breach of contract
and in November they informed her that they were planning to file a
breach-of-contract suit. At that point, they say, she put together her own
lawsuit and filed it at Christmas when no one at Skechers could be reached for
comment. "She attempted to jump the gun," Petrocelli said. "Her
lawsuit is a legal maneuver to try to deflect her liability."
In the suit, Spears claimed it was Skechers that didn't honor the agreement to
use outside businesses to create accessories for her line. She also asserted
that the company used her image to promote and boost sales of other skate
lines.
"Skechers' claims are ludicrous and without merit," Britney Brands
attorney Jonathan Solish said in a statement. "This is a baseless attempt
to shift the spotlight from Skechers' abandonment of their contractual
obligations. We are confident that the courts will reach the same
conclusion."
mtv.com
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