No charges for Britney Spears in dispute with housekeeper

The singer will face no charges after an allegation from her housekeeper that Spears slapped a phone out of her hand

Britney Spears will not face charges following accusations of misdemeanour battery. AFP

Britney Spears will face no charges after an allegation from her housekeeper that the singer slapped a phone out of the employee's hand, prosecutors said on Wednesday.

A possible misdemeanour battery charge was declined based on insufficient evidence that a crime had occurred and lack of injury to the housekeeper or of significant damage to the phone, Ventura County District Attorney Erik Nasarenko said.

The woman called authorities after the August 16 dispute with Spears over veterinary care of Spears's dog, Nasarenko said.

Spears, 39, has a home in Thousand Oaks, California, north-west of Los Angeles.

When it was revealed sheriff's deputies were investigating, Spears's lawyer, Mathew Rosen, called the incident “overblown” and “manufactured,” saying: “Anyone can make an accusation but this should have been closed immediately."

The district attorney's announcement came a day after Rosen and Spears filed new documents alleging that her father was keeping his role in the conservatorship that has controlled her life and money for 13 years because he was trying to earn some $2 million more in fees.

James Spears's representatives did not respond to a request for comment, but have repeatedly said that his dealings in the conservatorship have always been upright and in the best interests of his daughter.

He was, however, the target of much of his daughter’s ire in a pair of speeches before a court in June and July, in which she called the conservatorship “abusive".

Spears said she had been required to use an intrauterine device for birth control, take medication against her will and was prevented from getting married, having another child or even riding in her boyfriend’s car unsupervised.

“This conservatorship is doing me way more harm than good,” Spears said at the time. “I deserve to have a life.”