Spears 'not fit enough for court'

Ms Spears' medical condition was "fluid", her lawyer said

Britney Spears is not yet well enough to appear in the case dealing with her father's control of her assets, her lawyer has told a Los Angeles court.

Samuel Ingham said her condition was "fluid" because of treatment changes.

Court commissioner Reva Goetz agreed it may be "harmful" for the singer to appear in her conservatorship case when it goes to court on 31 July.

Jamie Spears was granted control of his daughter's assets in February after she was admitted to a psychiatric ward.

A US court creates conservatorship when a person cannot care for themselves.

$100m estate

Mr Ingham and lawyers for Mr Spears met privately in Mr Goetz's chambers for 90 minutes to discuss the condition of Mr Spears.

After their meeting, Mr Goetz told the court that, as the singer's diagnosis was incomplete, she was not yet ready to take part in the case, which is due to begin at the end of July.

Mr Spears' temporary authority, which puts him in control of her assets and estate, was extended in March until the scheduled start of proceedings.

Kevin Federline and Britney Spears were married in September 2004

The singer's estate is thought to be worth $100m (�50.8m).

Ms Spears has led a troubled existence since splitting from her husband, Kevin Federline, in 2006.

Her increasingly eccentric behaviour - which included shaving off her hair in full view of the paparazzi and a shambolic performance at the MTV awards - ended with a spell in a psychiatric ward at the beginning of February.

She lost custody of two-and-a-half-year-old Sean Preston and Jayden James, 20 months, in October, and lost visiting rights in January when Mr Federline was given full custody.

Earlier this month, a lawyer for Mr Federline said a judge had granted Ms Spears greater access to her sons.

The lawyer, Mark Vincent Kaplan, said Ms Spears had made progress in getting her personal life back together.

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