Britney's lawyer to seal docs

2007-09-15 12:42

Los Angeles - Britney Spears' lawyer wants to seal all court papers in her custody battle with ex-husband Kevin Federline over their two young children.

Attorney Laura A Wasser filed a motion on Friday asking a Superior Court commissioner to make permanent a conditional July 30 order to seal all documents dealing with custody.

It was filed in response to a motion by a magazine and TV station to unseal some of the papers.

"This is the perfect instance to stop the madness," Wasser said in court. "No one could have contemplated the plethora of media activity."

Commissioner Scott Gordon heard arguments on Friday, but put off ruling on the issue until a scheduled on Monday hearing.

Representing People magazine and KNBC-TV, lawyer Alonzo Wickers sought to unseal some documents in the case.

Written ruling to be issued

He cited a pair of cases that he said show not all family law documents, even those involving child custody, need be kept entirely private.

"No statute says custody-related documents should be broadly sealed," Wickers said.

Messages left on Friday for Wasser and Wickers were not immediately returned.

Gordon said he will issue a written ruling on Monday, the day of a hearing on Federline's request to gain a bigger share of custody of the couple's two children, 23-month-old Sean Preston and 11-month-old Jayden James.

Spears, 25, and Federline, 29, have shared joint custody of the two boys since February.

Federline's attorney Mark Vincent Kaplan has said he will seek additional custody for Federline because the two boys are "isolated from risks" when they are with their father.

Kaplan supported Wasser in seeking to seal the custody documents.

Spears married Federline in October 2004, eight months after her first marriage to childhood friend Jason Alexander was annulled.

She cited irreconcilable differences when she filed for divorce from Federline on November 7 2006.

The couple's divorce became official July 30.

- AP