Spears wins small battle in custody hearing
Britney Spears has won a boost in her child custody battle following a hearing in Los Angeles yesterday morning.
Sealed documents were reviewed in a closed court session, and though the existing custodial arrangement remains in place between the singer and her ex-husband Kevin Federline, both parties insist there has been progress.
Spears' custody rights were suspended in January after police and emergency services were called to the singer's home after she refused to hand over one of her sons to a Federline bodyguard following a visitation period.
Ever since then Spears has been fighting to regain visitation. The arrangement was modified a month ago when Federline agreed his troubled ex could spend time with their sons again as long as the visits were properly supervised.
And speaking outside court after yesterday's hearing, Federline's attorney Mark Vincent Kaplan called the court meeting "a step going forward" for both his client and Spears.
He said: "The order that was in place has remained in place but there has been a graduated expansion of time."
Kaplan was complimentary about Spears' progress following her commitment to a psychiatric ward in February, and credited her father Jamie, who has been given full control of his daughter's personal affairs, for adding stability to her life.
Federline's attorney said, "What was a seemingly daily situation in extreme flux has been stabilised."
Following the hearing, a statement from Spears' parents read, "We are so pleased with Britney's progress and we are very appreciative of the court's recognition of this progress."
A progress hearing will be held on 15 July and another hearing will be held in August to review "how the modified custody arrangement has evolved".
