Here's the latest news ...
Britney's Lawyer Aims to "Stop the Madness"
Fri Sep 14, 2:24 PM
It's a mad, mad world out there—and details about Britney Spears' family court proceedings won't make it any saner, according to the struggling pop star's attorney.
"No one could have contemplated the plethora of media activity…sadly, in my opinion," attorney Laura Wasser argued Friday at a hearing on whether court documents detailing Spears' and Kevin Federline's financial and custody support arrangements should be made public.
"This is the perfect instance to stop the madness," Wasser said.
Two days after Spears and Federline met up at Wasser's office to try and work out their issues in advance of a custody hearing scheduled for Monday—Federline is seeking primary physical custody of sons Sean Preston and Jayden James—the lawyer faced off against Los Angeles station KNBC-TV and People, each of which is asserting its right to dig deeper into the case.
Attorney Alonzo Wickers IV, representing People and KNBC, cited two other cases in which not all documents pertaining to custody and financial support battles were kept sealed.
L.A. Superior Court Commissioner Scott Gordon said he would rule on the matter on Monday, keeping his July 30 ruling that the divorce documents in question remain sealed intact for the time being.
"Privacy coupled with the interests of the children—that's the overriding interest," attorney Dennis Wasser—Laura's father, who's also representing Spears—said Friday.
Federline's camp is also angling to keep the records sealed.
Meanwhile, according to a court document signed Friday (one that apparently fell through a crack in the system), Spears is going to keep paying her former Chaotic costar $20,000 a month in spousal support.
A source close to the situation confirmed to E! News, however, that the agreement—an old one—ends Nov. 1 and that the amount of child support Federline will receive beyond that date has already been determined. The part-time rapper has the option to request more, the source said, but as of now he has only petitioned for cash to cover his legal fees.
Spears and Federline's split was finalized on July 30, and the two have been sharing custody, but K-Fed, blaming Brit's reportedly erratic behavior, wants the boys to stay with him, where they're "isolated from risks," as explained by his lawyer, Mark Vincent Kaplan.
After court Friday, Wasser told reporters that Spears, contrary to whatever the public thinks, "just wants to be a mom. I believe this is a frustrating time for her."
It has been a crazy week for the ex-couple. Friday's hearing came on the same day their firstborn, Sean Preston, turned two. Their other son, Jayden James, turned one on Wednesday. Federline held a party for the boys in Los Angeles on Sunday, hours before Spears' Video Music Awards disaster.
The theoretically forgettable performance has given way to speculation that Spears might show up at the Emmys this Sunday to apologize.
Us Weekly's Website quoted a source who said Fox was "in negotiations" with the "Toxic" singer to appear and that she was "weighing the offer."
Asked about the impact Spears' VMA performance has had on her this week, Wasser said it was certainly on the 25-year-old's mind—regretfully.
"I think she just wants to be a mom, and both of her kids' birthdays are this week, and I think she would've liked to celebrate with them without having to worry about the entire nation—the entire world—being concerned about what's going on with her personally and her custody battle with Mr. Federline," Wasser said.
But K-Fed, for one, is "doing great," according to his attorney.
"I don't know what thing you are referring to," Kaplan said when asked if Spears' showing at the VMAs could help or hurt his case, "and I'm not going to talk about any strategy. I think how she is doing is something for her attorneys to address."
