Media shut out of Brit court
2007-10-27 08:19
Los Angeles - A bid by Britney Spears for custody of her two young sons with Kevin Federline was put on hold on Friday by a court commissioner after a three-hour closed hearing, a lawyer for Federline said.
Superior Court Commissioner Scott Gordon was expected to issue a written ruling by next Tuesday after hearing extensive testimony on a number of issues in the case, lawyer Mark Vincent Kaplan said.
Spears did not comment after the hearing. But during an earlier break in the proceedings, she uttered an epithet at a reporter in the hallway who asked how the proceedings were going.
Attorney Sorrell Trope, who represents Spears, said "something has changed, but I can't say what." He said Spears was pleased, but he declined further comment.
Each parent will have a day with the boys this weekend, Kaplan said during a short news conference after the hearing.
"Habitual, frequent and continuous" user of drugs
Gordon has previously said there was evidence that Spears is a "habitual, frequent and continuous" user of drugs and alcohol, withdrew approval for her to even visit the children after finding she had failed to comply with some conditions for shared custody.
He later withdrew the ban and allowed her to visit Sean Preston, 2, and Jayden James, 1 - but only in the presence of a court-approved monitor.
Hours earlier, Spears arrived at the courthouse eating cheese puffs in her white Mercedes-Benz convertible and giggled when asked by reporters outside the courtroom if she was nervous.
She was escorted by sheriff's deputies and wore a black print dress and cowgirl boots. Her brown hair was lightly streaked with blonde highlights and she carried a large handbag.
Federline arrived a few minutes after Spears, wearing a gray pinstriped suit and an earring in his right ear.
Both were under court order to attend the proceedings.
They were asked to stand, raise their right hands and swear to tell the truth, which they did. A few moments later, Gordon closed the hearing to the media at the request of Trope, who was expected to argue that Spears had complied with court orders and should regain the shared custody she lost earlier this month.
- AP