Hopefully things will work out better in the long run with the hunky ex-Navy officer who recently joined Britney Spears' security detail.

A Los Angeles Superior Court judge ruled Monday that the lawsuit filed against three of Spears' companies by a trio of her former employees who claim that they're owed back pay and damages will go to arbitration in an effort to avoid a trial, defense attorney William J. Briggs II confirmed to E! Online.

 


Actually, Judge James R. Dunn's ruling is a boon to the defense, which would prefer that the matter be handled through confidential binding arbitration rather than "under the glare of the public lights," Briggs said. He is representing all three of Spears' companies named in the suit and was the one who filed the motion to take the matter to a private third party.

Emphasis on the "confidential," which means that the intricate financial dealings of the targeted organizations–Britney Brands Inc., Britney Touring Inc. and Team Tours Inc.–will stay largely under wraps.

The judge rejected the plaintiffs' argument that arbitration would deprive them of certain court protections, namely more money from the defense if it's later determined that Spears' companies violated labor laws.

The plaintiffs are Silas Dukes, hired by Britney Brands in June 2004 as a "lead specialist" on Spears' security team and later promoted to Britney Touring; Randy Jones, hired as a personal security guard in July 2004; and Lonnie DeShawn Jones, hired as a guard at Spears' home in November 2004. They allege that they never received either overtime compensation or their final paychecks after being fired Nov. 30, 2005.

According to their lawsuit, Dukes was paid a weekly salary of $3,350, Randy Jones got $3,000 per week and Lonnie Jones $2,400. Lonnie Jones regularly worked 12-hour shifts, while Randy Jones and Dukes worked 12 to 16-hour shifts and were expected to be on call 24 hours a day when accompanying Spears on the road, they said.

Exact dates have not been scheduled yet, but Briggs said that two of the arbitration hearings will take place later this year in New York and another will be held in Los Angeles.

This suit adds to an increasingly crowded court docket of cases involving Spears and the people who go places with her. A paparazzo who claims he suffered serious injuries in 2004 when Spears' mom, Lynne, allegedly knocked him down with her SUV sued the mother-daughter duo for damages a couple of weeks ago. Only the Maltese puppy also riding in the car at the time knows for sure.