Britney Spears Want Court Case Sealed
A lawyer for Britney Spears today asked a court commissioner to keep Los Angeles County authorities from reviewing court filings in the pop star's child custody dispute.
It would be best for her two young sons that the case remain sealed, Thomas Paine Dunlap argued.
The Los Angeles County Department of Children and Family Services (DCFS) and its representative, the county counsel's office, are a "large bureaucracy with thousands of employees" where the details of the case could easily leak out, he said.
Kevin Federline's lawyer, Mark Vincent Kaplan, argued that if the court was going to turn files over it should identify and only release relevant issues in the case that are connected to the county investigation of Spears' parenting skills.
A county lawyer representing DCFS asked for the hearing to be closed and Superior Court Commissioner Scott Gordon's decision on the matter was not disclosed.
Spears, 25, and Federline, 29, were married in October 2004. The two have fought in court over custody issues since they split. Their divorce was final in July.
Among other issues addressed behind closed doors today was a new holiday visitation schedule for Sean Preston, two, and Jayden James, one.
But Superior Court spokesman Allan Parachini would not provide details. Kaplan also would not comment.
"Kevin feels it's absolutely appropriate that they both get to see the kids at the holidays," Kaplan said.
The boys spent the evening before the Thanksgiving holiday with their mother and the day with their father.
The commissioner also issued another order in the case today, but Parachini would not provide details.
The next hearing is scheduled for January 23 and the custody evaluation is scheduled to be completed and submitted to the court on April 9.
"I'm hoping that the April hearing will resolve a lot" of the custody case, Kaplan said outside court.
It would be best for her two young sons that the case remain sealed, Thomas Paine Dunlap argued.
The Los Angeles County Department of Children and Family Services (DCFS) and its representative, the county counsel's office, are a "large bureaucracy with thousands of employees" where the details of the case could easily leak out, he said.
Kevin Federline's lawyer, Mark Vincent Kaplan, argued that if the court was going to turn files over it should identify and only release relevant issues in the case that are connected to the county investigation of Spears' parenting skills.
A county lawyer representing DCFS asked for the hearing to be closed and Superior Court Commissioner Scott Gordon's decision on the matter was not disclosed.
Spears, 25, and Federline, 29, were married in October 2004. The two have fought in court over custody issues since they split. Their divorce was final in July.
Among other issues addressed behind closed doors today was a new holiday visitation schedule for Sean Preston, two, and Jayden James, one.
But Superior Court spokesman Allan Parachini would not provide details. Kaplan also would not comment.
"Kevin feels it's absolutely appropriate that they both get to see the kids at the holidays," Kaplan said.
The boys spent the evening before the Thanksgiving holiday with their mother and the day with their father.
The commissioner also issued another order in the case today, but Parachini would not provide details.
The next hearing is scheduled for January 23 and the custody evaluation is scheduled to be completed and submitted to the court on April 9.
"I'm hoping that the April hearing will resolve a lot" of the custody case, Kaplan said outside court.
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