LOS ANGELES (AP) - Testimony is scheduled to begin next week in a trial that will focus on Britney Spears' darkest days, but jurors are unlikely to hear from the pop superstar directly.

Jury selection began Friday in a libel and defamation trial filed by Spears' former manager and confidante, Sam Lutfi. He claims he's owed a share of the singer's fortune and that he's been unfairly vilified by Spears' mother.

A judge overseeing Spears' ongoing conservatorship has ordered the singer not to appear at the trial. Lutfi's attorney has sought the 30-year-old's testimony to prove that statements made about Lutfi's involvement in her public meltdown are untrue.

Spears' mom Lynne accused Lutfi in court filings of drugging and isolating her daughter, and the claims were repeated in a 2008 book.

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