Britney's Due In For Court
Britney Spears' effort to regain visitation rights with her two small children is back on the court docket for what an attorney described Sunday as "the most significant hearing in the case so far."

Police and emergency medical technicians who were summoned to her home Jan. 3 in a standoff involving her refusal to return the boys to her ex-husband, Kevin Federline, will testify Monday, probably behind closed doors, his lawyer said.

"I don't know if she will be there," Mark Vincent Kaplan told The Associated Press, but he suggested she would have to appear in person if she wants to press her request to see her children. "You can't phone this one in."

If Spears comes to court, Kaplan said she would be expected to testify. "She will have the opportunity to persuade the court that she can have some visitation under monitored conditions," he said.

Phone and e-mail messages requesting comment from Spears' attorneys Sunday afternoon were not immediately returned.

Kaplan said he knew it was only a temporary measure when he obtained emergency court orders two weeks ago granting sole physical and legal custody to Federline.

"These are very, very draconian orders," Kaplan said. "Because of that the court wanted to have a hearing to give her and her attorneys the opportunity to refute some of the declarations."

"No judge likes making orders terminating a person's involvement with their kids," Kaplan said.

Meanwhile, police were preparing for a media frenzy in the downtown civic center if Spears appears, issuing warnings Sunday that vehicle and pedestrian violations would lead to citations.

Kaplan said that if Spears comes to court, he would like to cross-examine her on the events of Jan. 3.

Police were called by a court appointed monitor when Spears refused to hand over Jayden James, 1, and Sean Preston, 2, to Federline's security guard and locked herself in a room with one of the boys.

Spears was taken to a hospital in an ambulance chased by photographers and was placed on an involuntary hold on grounds she was a danger to herself or others. Spears left Cedars-Sinai Medical Center a day and half later.

The day after the incident, Kaplan presented papers to Commissioner Scott Gordon who awarded sole legal and physical custody of the boys to Federline and suspended Spears' visitation rights.

Kaplan said if visitation is restored, it would be under more restrictions than those originally imposed by Gordon.

One expert in family law agreed that the hearing provides Spears her only hope of resuming visits with her children before a custody trial scheduled for April.

"Usually, when someone has the threat of losing their children, they'll do anything to get their children back," said Lynn Soodik, who predicted visitation rights could be restored if Spears appears and offers an explanation.

"This is not a punishment for her," Soodik said. "It's what's in the best interest of the children. The judge has to carefully weigh their safety versus not seeing their mother. It's drastic to have no contact with their mother."

Soodik said Gordon could order monitored visitation in a location away from Spears' home "in some kind of setting where the judge can assure that she wouldn't be able to lock the kids in a room with her."
Dale | Jan 13, 2008

Britney Is To Emotionally Unstable for Court
Britney Spears' close friends and aides fear that the singer is not emotionally stable enough to appear in court for her child custody hearing on Jan 14. An insider revealed that lawyers for the troubled pop star are trying to prepare her for possible evidence before Commissioner Scott Gordon next week, but are "very frightened, because she is emotionally raw." The source also said that Spears "breaks down into tears and cannot complete a sentence" every time the topic of her sons surfaces, adding that the singer is "mortified by the events of last week," when the whole world saw her wheeled out into an ambulance and taken to Cedar-Sinai's psych ward.

The source further said that Britney knows she needs to get help but feels that "no matter what she does, she's caged," reports the New York Post. Spears temporarily lost custody of her children, Sean Preston, 2, and Jayden James, 1, following the three-hour standoff during which time police were called to her Beverly Hills residence.
Dale | Jan 13, 2008

Britney Is In touch With Her Mother

Although Britney Spears and her mother, Lynne, have been regularly feuding, they remain in touch through the troubled singer's lawyers. PageSix.com quoted Michael Flanagan, Spears attorney in her driving without a license case, as saying: "I talk quite frequently with Britney's mom, and her manager Sam Lutfi." Flanagan refused to reveal the details of the conversations, but said they cover updates on the case's progress. "Lynne is a great lady and loves her daughter dearly," he added. Meanwhile, sources close to the Spears' custody lawyer, Anne Kiley, said that she is in touch with Lynne as well. Although the mother and daughter's relationship is far from ideal, "there is a lot of love between Britney and her mom, and they have a very complex relationship", said the source.

Dale | Jan 13, 2008

Britney "I'll Kill Myself Before I Let Them Lock Me Up Again"
Troubled Britney Spears reportedly made a series of terrifying calls to a close friend in which she threatened: “I’ll kill myself before I let them lock me up again!" Britney is said to have made the alarming calls while driving erratically on Tuesday night - the day before she fled the country to hide in Mexico. And it was also the day reports flooded the internet about how Britney’s parents were considering drastic action to get Britney taken into psychiatric care - even using courts and police if needs be. “They’re not sending me to the nut house!” Britney screamed to her friend, according to a report in the U.S. “No one can make me go if I don’t want to go - and I ain’t goin’!”
Dale | Jan 13, 2008

Kevin's Lawyer: Britney Will Get Visitation Back Soon
People.com: No baby Blackout yet: A day after court documents revealed that Britney Spears's visitation rights were revoked, her ex Kevin Federline's attorney Mark Vincent Kaplan tells PEOPLE she will likely regain the privilege before their next court hearing on Oct. 26.

"She has complied with the part of the order [causing the suspension]," Kaplan says. "I expect that visitation will be reinstated."

The document released Thursday stated, "[Spears's] visitation with the minor children is suspended pending [her] compliance with court orders."

A Spears source gave more insight into the decision, telling PEOPLE Spears was unreachable for court-related calls due to bad reception at her Malibu home. Despite repeated attempts to reach the singer on her cell phone, the source says Spears "waited" but "it never rang."

Kaplan, speaking to PEOPLE Thursday as he was leaving dinner at Katsuya restaurant in Brentwood, also confirmed that Britney and Kevin's 730 evaluations – which involve a third party assessing the quality of parenting and making observation-based recommendations regarding the final custody arrangement – have begun.

Therapy Sessions

As for the co-parenting therapy sessions she and Federline must attend together: "They are just about to do that."

This latest development follows an endless string of major and minor legal mandates including working with a parenting coach and submitting to random drug tests. After losing her custody temporarily on Oct. 1, Spears appeared and was granted one overnight visit a week with sons Preston, 2, and Jayden James, 1.

According to a source, Spears is currently doing "fine."
Mark | Oct 19, 2007

Britney Allegedly Runs Over Photographer's Foot
People.com: Britney Spears allegedly ran over a photographer's foot Thursday night when she was swarmed pulling out of a Beverly Hills parking garage.

The incident happened on the same day she reached a financial agreement with the owner of the car that she damaged on Aug. 6.

In video footage of this latest incident, Spears, 25, driving her white Mercedes convertible, slowly exits the garage while a mob of paparazzi begin taking photos. Bulbs flashing, a man in a camouflage jacket is seen falling to the ground near her front left tire while apparently shouting in pain.

Another photographer – "Michael" who works for the Web site Celebrity Babylon – told ABC7 that he witnessed the unnamed man's foot get run over.

Spears raises a hand to her mouth in shock and is then seen crying behind the wheel as she leaves the scene without checking on the man's condition.

Beverly Hills police say no one contacted them to file a report. Spears will be arraigned on two driving-related misdemeanor charges on Oct. 25.
Mark | Oct 19, 2007

Lawyer: Britney Spears Is Passing Random Drug Tests
People.com: Britney Spears's attorney says the singer has been passing her court-ordered random drug tests.

"She's passed her random drug tests," her lawyer, Sorrell Trope, tells PEOPLE exclusively. "There's been more than one. They came up negative."

Trope said the singer's chances of regaining 50-50 custody of sons Sean Preston, 2, and Jayden James, 1, are "good, based on the overall circumstances of the case."

A spokesperson for the court would not comment on the drug tests. Kevin Federline's lawyer Mark Vincent Kaplan was not immediately available for comment.

As far as working with her court-mandated parenting coach, Trope stated, "As far as I know, there have been no complaints."

Last month, Los Angeles Superior Court Commissioner Scott Gordon ruled that Spears is a "habitual, frequent and continuous" user of alcohol and controlled substances, and ordered her to undergo twice-weekly random testing.

Two weeks later, she was temporarily stripped of custody, and her ex-husband, Kevin Federline, retains physical custody of the boys for now.

On Oct. 3, Spears was granted monitored visitation rights with her sons, and must complete a litany of orders by the next hearing date of Oct. 26.

Meanwhile, the arraignment in her driving-related misdemeanors case was postponed until Oct. 25.

However, Commissioner Rebecca Omens ordered Spears be booked, which includes being photographed and fingerprinted, at a police station before that date.
Mark | Oct 09, 2007

Britney Passes Drug Test
TMZ.com: TMZ has learned Britney Spears took a drug test this weekend and passed.

It was part of the court order requiring Britney to undergo testing. Sources say contrary to what they call "public perception," Britney has accepted the terms laid down by L.A. Court Commissioner Scott Gordon.

We're also told Britney is currently with her children and a parenting coach and all is going fine. She has visitation from morning till early evening. Spears also had similar visitation yesterday and last Saturday, and she has accepted the fact that a parenting coach will be watching and making suggestions.

As we first reported, Britney would not open the door for the children last Thursday because she didn't want anyone to tell her how to raise her kids. But as one connected source says, "It's all stabilized and it's all good."
Mark | Oct 09, 2007

Judge to Britney: You Must Be Booked!
TMZ.com: Britney Spears has just been ordered by a Los Angeles County judge to be booked for August's alleged hit-and-run, before her next court appearance on Oct. 25.

TMZ was in court just minutes ago with Brit's attorney Michael Flanagan, who tells us that Britney will comply with the court's decision.

Flanagan also tells TMZ that Britney is trying to work out a deal with the woman whose car she hit.
Mark | Oct 09, 2007

Starbucks Run With Jamie Lynn - October 07 [Photos]

Britney and Jamie Lynn went on a Starbucks run yesterday afternoon.. Everything was great, until some dumb bitch told Britney something like "No one wants you here - get the fuck out of our neighborhood!", luckily Jamie Lynn stepped in, haha. You can see a video of the whole incident here, and you can view the photos in the gallery!
Seth | Oct 08, 2007