Britney Spears under investigation for misdemeanor battery

The Ventura County Sheriff's department has launched a misdemeanor battery investigation into Britney Spears after one of her housekeepers reported to deputies that the pop singer struck her during an argument.

Ventura County Sheriff Captain Eric Buschow said the incident unfolded Monday and the housekeeper contacted deputies in the aftermath and filed a report. He declined to discuss specifically how the housekeeper claimed Spears made physical contact.

Buschow said the housekeeper showed no visible signs of injury and the investigation will be forwarded to the Ventura County District Attorney to decide.

Representatives for Spears did not immediately respond Thursday to the Los Angeles Times' request for comment.

A source said it was a dispute involving a pet belonging to Spears, and the housekeeper accused the singer of slapping or trying to swat at the phone she was holding.

For such a misdemeanor offense to be charged, prosecutors usually require a law enforcement officer to witness the incident or for there to be other physical evidence of the battery. Spears lives in Thousand Oaks, in the north-western part of Greater Los Angeles.

According to TMZ, "a source connected to" Spears has denied any physical altercation between the Grammy winner and her staff member. The same source claimed the sheriff's department told Spears' team the investigation wouldn't amount to anything.

The complaint comes amid an ongoing legal battle waged by Spears in an effort to terminate her long-running conservatorship.

Last week, Spears' father and longtime conservator filed a petition asking a Los Angeles judge to deny his daughter's request to immediately remove him from the conservatorship — though he did agree to step down eventually, on his own terms.

The #FreeBritney movement gained fresh momentum earlier this summer after Spears demanded an end to what she called an "abusive" legal arrangement before a Los Angeles court.

The next hearing in Spears' conservatorship case — which could determine the fate of her father's role in her estate — is slated for September 29.