Federline Defends Britney in Child Abuse Claims

An attorney for Britney Spears' ex-husband called child abuse claims leveled at the singer by a former bodyguard baseless and motivated by money.

Fernando Flores, who worked on the singer's security detail, sued Spears on Wednesday claiming sexual harassment and intentional infliction of emotional distress. His lawsuit claims Spears repeatedly exposed herself to him and that he witnessed her punish her young sons with his belt and act inappropriately in front of them.

Kevin Federline's attorney Mark Vincent Kaplan told The Associated Press that Flores' accusations had been looked into before the suit was filed and warranted no action. He said Federline takes any allegations of abuse or wrongdoing regarding the former couple's children seriously.

"He is satisfied that the allegations are a product of economic motives," Kaplan said. "They are as baseless as they seem."

Federline has custody of the former couple's sons, Sean Preston and Jayden James, but Spears has substantial visitation with the boys.

Kaplan said if Federline believed the children were in danger, he would have stepped in already.

He noted that Flores' lawsuit was leaked to online news outlets before the suit was filed. "I think that the timing of this and the nature of the allegations speak for themselves."

The lawsuit, which seeks unspecified damages and includes several lurid allegations of Spears allegedly exposing herself to Flores.

Spears' publicist Holly Shakoor did not return e-mail messages seeking comment on the case.

The lawsuit claims that Spears, among other things, exposed herself to Flores and summoned him to her bedroom while she was naked.

The bodyguard's employment with Spears appeared to be brief — his court filings state he started working for her in February and had "exhausted his administrative remedies" with a state agency by July.

Flores also sued his former employer, Advanced Security Concepts Corp. A woman who answered the company's phone Wednesday declined to comment and refused to be identified.

Spears remains under a court-ordered conservatorship in which her personal and financial affairs are controlled by her father and an attorney, and monitored by a judge. The conservatorship has prevented Spears from being deposed or testifying during previous cases in which she was sued.

Despite a high-profile custody battle, Spears and Federline reached an agreement in 2008 and neither side has sought changes to the custody arrangement in nearly a year, court records show.

Source: Yahoo! News

OK! Exclusive: Britney's Boys to Join Her in Europe

The following italicized article is from www.ok-magazine.com:

Two months ago, when Britney Spears embarked on her first concert tour in almost five years, she was joined by two of her biggest — and littlest! — supporters: her young sons Jayden James and Sean Preston.

And now that Brit is wrapping up the North American leg of her tour, OK! can exclusively reveal that the pop superstar will continue to have her boys cheering her on when she heads to Europe in June.

In an exclusive interview in the next issue of OK! — on sale everywhere Thursday — Mark Vincent Kaplan, attorney for Brit's ex-husband Kevin Federline reveals that his client is "more than happy to help facilitate Britney being able to see the boys on the European leg of the tour."

Kaplan admits that, though Kevin has custody of the two boys, he realizes that Britney "should not have to sacrifice visits with her boys while pursuing her career. Kevin has even been able to make sure that Britney can maintain the boys' regular schedule, even though she's on tour."

For the entire story — including the family's living arrangements — be sure to pick up the next issue of OK!, on sale everywhere Thursday.

Source: OK Magazine

K-Fed Lawyer: No Deal Yet on Britney Touring With Tykes

The following italicized article is from www.eonline.com:

Despite Britney Spears' blog proclaiming earlier this week that Sean Preston and Jayden James will be joining her for the duration of her Circus tour, Kevin Federline's camp insists no deal is done.

"We are working towards that," K-Fed attorney Mark Vincent Kaplan exclusively tells E! News.

"There can be an agreement reached in probably the next day, but there is not an agreement that is signed yet."

Kaplan says they are hammering out the last details, but the basic agreement will allow Spears to see her two sons on "pretty much the same schedule that she has now," which is around three days a week. For the sake of the tour, Federline will travel with the kids to tour areas.

"Kevin is working to make them accessible by going on various central locations in various areas of the country and he is doing that because he wants her to be able to have the maximum positive environment around her to assure that the tour will be successful," says Kaplan.

Sean and Jayden James will likely not be seeing any of mom's Circus shows nor will they be hanging out backstage.

"I don't think the kids will be at venues, they will be available in her life when she is done with the rigors of performing," says Kaplan.

As for reports that Spears was threatening to cancel the tour if an agreement wasn't reached for the kids to come, Kaplan says that did not influence Federline's decision to allow the kids on tour.

"That would be her decision, but it is not something that would compel Kevin to decide what is best for his kids," Kaplan says.

Kaplan says he does not know if Federline will be bringing his new girlfriend, professional volleyball player Victoria Prince, with him as he shadows his ex-wife's tour. Prince recently decided to take time off the pro volleyball circuit.

"I don't even know if they know yet, but she is a very solid person and they are really great together. She is very solid, responsible and very postive effect that she has had. "

Source: E! Online

Hearing Kaplan talk always makes me vomit a lil' in my mouth.

Britney Will Cancel Tour If Kiddies Can't Come

The following italicized article is from www.tmz.com:

Britney Spears will cancel her upcoming tour if K-Fed's lawyers continue to block an agreement allowing her to take the kids on the road -- informed sources tell us.

Here's what we know. For weeks, Britney, K-Fed and Jamie Spears have been privately hashing out a plan to let the kids travel with Brit while she goes on tour. The plan is to have homes in three bases -- New Jersey, New Orleans and Los Angeles. Sean Preston and Jayden James would stay in one of these three bases and mom would commute back and forth while doing concerts in each region.

And here's a fun fact. We've learned Britney will pay Kevin in excess of $4,000 a week for each week she's on tour. The way the deal goes... Brit would get K-Fed his own pad in each of the three bases and he wouldn't even have to show up to get the money! Why, you ask, would she pay him? You figure it out....

So here's the rub: Britney, K-Fed and Jamie worked out the arrangement without the help of any of the lawyers. We're told a week ago K-Fed's lawyers became aware of the plan and were furious, thinking Jamie went behind their backs. Sources tell us K-Fed's lawyers have said they object to the plan but won't specifically say why. And Kevin apparently doesn't have the cojones to stand up to his lawyers.

Britney WILL cancel the tour if she can't take her kids... we know that for a fact.

By the way, Britney now has close to 50/50 custody and the trio has also worked out a long-term agreement, which would extend the arrangement. That, too, could be compromised. Stay tuned.

-UPDATE: 11:27 AM ET Mark Vincent Kaplan, K-Fed's lawyer, says neither he nor Kevin want to interfere with Brit's career. He says it could have been handled better if Jamie and company would have "manned up" and had Kevin got the benefit of his lawyers to protect his position. Kaplan says he's going to present his own wording of the deal, but thinks they'll work it out.

Source: TMZ

Federline Won't Seek Hearing on Son's Health Scare

The following italicized article is from www.people.com:

Kevin Federline has no plans to ask a family court to investigate his son's weekend health scare while in ex-wife Britney Spears's care, his lawyer says.

"We're not going to jump to conclusions right now," attorney Mark Vincent Kaplan tells E!. "I don't anticipate there being a hearing. I anticipate that Kevin and Britney as concerned parents will exchange information and satisfy themselves that what happened was a freak occurrence and do what they have to do to make sure that it doesn't happen again."

Jayden, 2, was hospitalized overnight on Sunday in McComb, Miss., after suffering a "terrible allergic reaction" to something he ingested, a source close to the Spears family tells PEOPLE.

Spears had taken her sons Preston, 3, and Jayden for a family visit to her hometown of Kentwood, La. It was the first time she was allowed to take them out of state since losing all custody earlier this year.

"Kevin was considering going to Louisiana (after the hospitalization)," says Kaplan, "but the information that we had was Jayden was already checked out. There wasn't an emergency."

Source: People

Britney & Kevin's Custody Settlement Finalized

The following italicized article is from www.people.com:

Britney Spears and Kevin Federline's custody settlement was signed Friday by a judge, officially ending their nearly two-year custody battle.

In the deal reached last week, Federline retained sole custody of Preston, 2 1/2, and Jayden, 1 1/2. Spears – who is currently allowed two visits and one overnight per week – will get an additional sleepover by year's end, barring any setbacks.

"She's thrilled," the pop star's attorney Laura Wasser told PEOPLE. "To have more time with her kids has been her motivation to get well. In light of her outstanding conservatorship, she couldn't have asked for anything more."

Spears also agreed to increase Federline's child support to $20,000 a month (a $5,000 increase) and pay off his $250,000 legal tab. Documents show the child support increase went into effect on July 15, and that Spears's father, who remains in legal control of her affairs until a July 31 hearing, approved of the settlement terms.

"This has been a long ordeal [for Kevin] and for it to be over makes him very happy," his lawyer Mark Vincent Kaplan previously said.

Legal experts say the former couple will undoubtedly return to court in the future, since custody settlements can always be modified.

Source: People

Britney Settlement Papers: Blow By Blow

The following italicized article is from www.tmz.com:

The Britney Spears trial is over. The case has officially settled.

Under the terms of the settlement filed today in L.A. County Superior Court, before July 30, Brit must pay K-Fed's lawyer, Mark Kaplan, $250,000 for fees.

As for child support, K-Fed has scored. As we first reported, he's getting 5k a month more -- it's gone from $15,000 to $20,000 a month.

The agreement does not mention visitation, but we know Brit has three days and one night a week with the kiddies and that will increase as time goes on. We're told by fall, she'll have a second overnight a week.

Brit never asked for custody, because she's still under a conservatorship. So K-Fed has sole custody and she has visitation rights. We're told Brit is ecstatic.

Source: TMZ

Britney And K-Fed Custody Battle: IT'S OFFICIALLY OVER!!!

The following italicized article is from www.x17online.com:

We thought this day would never come! LA County Court Commissioner Scott Gordon filed the paperwork today that officially ended the custody battle between Britney and K-Fed. The hearing started around 2 p.m., and around 3:15 p.m., K-Fed's attorney, Mark Vincent Kaplan, arrived at the courthouse and signed off on the settlement.

As you may remember, on July 17, Kaplan broke the news that Britney gave K-Fed sole physical and legal custody of Sean Preston and Jayden James. The next day, attorneys for both parties appeared in court to finalize the agreement, but it was never actually made official and "converted into a legal document with the court" until now.

Source: X17

Britney Spears and K-Fed Finalize Custody Agreement

The following italicized article is from www.celebrity-gossip.net:

It’s official! Britney Spears and Kevin Federline’s custody settlement was reportedly signed on Friday by the judge on the case, which brings an end to what’s been a nearly two-year custody battle.

As previously reported by Gossip Girls, K-Fed kept sole custody of their two sons in the deal - agreeing to allow Britney two visits and one overnight per week with the chance of an additional overnight as long as there aren’t any setbacks before year’s end.

Of the finalization, Britney’s attorney Laura Wasser told People magazine: “She’s thrilled. To have more time with her kids has been her motivation to get well. In light of her outstanding conservatorship, she couldn’t have asked for anything more.”

Meanwhile, Federline’s attorney Mark Vincet Kaplan told press: “This has been a long ordeal [for Kevin] and for it to be over makes him very happy.”

See more pics here

Source: Gossip Girls

Britney Spears' Custody Agreement Finalized:

The following italicized article is from www.mtv.com:

Report Spears ordered to pay legal fees for Kevin Federline, who will get $5,000 more a month in child support.

Britney Spears and Kevin Federline's custody settlement is final, according to TMZ.com.

Under the settlement, which was filed Friday (July 25) in L.A. County Superior Court, Spears must pay $250,000 in Federline's legal fees. Also, Federline will get $20,000 a month for child support, up from his previous $15,000. The agreement doesn't mention visitation, TMZ reported.

On July 17, Spears agreed to give Federline sole legal and physical custody of their two sons, Sean Preston and Jayden James, while she would retain visitation rights. Federline's attorney,

Mark Vincent Kaplan, told E! News last week that the agreement had been signed by all parties but still needed to be approved by the court.

TMZ says Spears will have three days and one night a week with her sons, with more visitation possible in the future. The singer has only been allowed monitored visits with her children since late February, following her multiple hospitalizations. She was recently granted the right to have one overnight visit a week as well.

According to E!, the Federline camp credited Spears' father, Jamie — who was appointed the co-conservator of his daughter's estate in February — for helping to get the troubled 26-year-old singer back on the right path. The conservatorship is up for review at the end of July, at which point a court commissioner will decide whether to make the arrangement permanent. Kaplan said that there is language in the custody agreement that anticipates a possible end to the conservatorship, but he couldn't discuss what those terms are. "Nobody can predict what the future will bring, but ... to the extent possible, I think we have really anticipated how to proceed," he said.

Source: MTV

Britney Spears to pay $20,000 a month child support

The following italicized article is from www.reuters.com:

Singer Britney Spears will pay child support of $20,000 (10,000 pounds) a month to ex-husband Kevin Federline for the care of their two children and will make a final payment of $250,000 to his lawyers, according to an agreement between the couple filed in court on Friday.

The monthly child support payment is a $5,000 increase over what Spears and Federline, a dancer and rap singer, agreed to last year, the court papers showed.

The agreement comes a week after lawyers said they had agreed to a final settlement in the child custody case, averting the need to go to trial.

In an order filed on Friday, the August trial was called off.

Federline's attorney, Mark Vincent Kaplan, told several media organizations on July 17 the agreement would allow Federline to retain sole custody of his children with Spears -- Sean Preston, 2-1/2, and Jayden James, 22 months.

Spears' $250,000 payment for Federline's legal expenses is due July 30.

Spears, 26, and Federline, 30, married in 2004, split up in late 2006 and their divorce was finalized last year. Spears lost custody of the two boys in January after two brief hospitalizations for psychiatric evaluation.

Source: Reuters

Spears and Federline Settle Custody Case

The following italicized article is from www.associatedpress.com:

A custody settlement between Britney Spears and Kevin Federline has been finalized, including a $5,000-per-month child-support increase for the pop singer's ex-husband.

Attorneys delivered the terms of the agreement to a Los Angeles Superior Court office Friday afternoon. According to the documents, Spears' payments to Federline go from $15,000 to $20,000 per month, retroactive to July 15.

Federline's attorney, Mark Vincent Kaplan, also gets a single payment of $250,000 as a part of the agreement.

Last week, the parties said they had reached an agreement that would grant the 26-year-old pop singer more time with her children, including additional overnight visits

Source: Associated Press

Breaking News: Britney & Kevin's Custody Battle Still On!

The following italicized article is from www.ok-magazine.com:

The California court system breathed a sigh of relief last week when OK! exclusively revealed that Britney Spears and ex-husband Kevin Federline had finally reached an agreement over their prolonged custody battle for their two children.

However, sources tell OK! that Brit's dad, Jamie Spears, who has been acting as her court-ordered conservator for several months and who has final say over all her legal and financial matters, isn't happy with the agreement and is refusing to sign off on the settlement.

Both parties are expected back in court today at 2 p.m. PST for an emergency hearing with family court Commissioner Scott Gordon, who had been expected to make the settlement official several days ago.

Outside the courtroom, a spokesperson for the court said, "There apparently is a settlement... We expect it delivered by one of the lawyers this afternoon."

However, the spokesperson did say that he could not yet say when the details of the settlement will be released to the public.

On July 17, K-Fed's lawyer spoke exclusively to OK! to announce that he and Brit's attorney Laura Wasser had worked out an agreement between the feuding spouses. Under the terms of the settlement, Kevin is to retain sole legal and physical custody of Sean Preston, 2, and 1-year-old Jayden James, while Britney will continue to have visitation rights which may increase over time.

The agreement was presented to the court on July 18, at which point commissioner Gordon was expected to finalize the paperwork, finally putting an end to months of back-and-forth feuding.

Source: OK Magazine

BREAKING NEWS: Britney Spears' Custody Settlement Finalized

The following italicized article is from www.usmagazine.com:

Britney Spears' ongoing custody drama with ex-husband Kevin Federline is coming to an end: papers confirming their settlement are being filed.

"There is a final settlement in the Britney Spears-Kevin Federline custody case," Los Angeles County Superior Court spokesperson Allan Parachini tells Usmagazine.com.

"Documents will be delivered to the court today but they are not sure what time or if any of the documents will be made public today," Parachini explained.

Last week Spears, 26, agreed to give Federline, 30, sole custody of their boys Sean Preston, 2 1/2, and Jayden, 1 1/2.

Federline is "absolutely delighted," his lawyer Mark Vincent Kaplan has said.

Spears currently has monitored, twice-a-week visitation and one overnight visitation per week. Under the settlement, Spears will get more time with her kids, her attorney, Laura Wasser said last week.

"It was a victory for the whole family that they don't have to go to a trial," she said. "I think they figured out a way to work together, to co-parent and make sure their kids will benefit from the result of that."

The singer lost visitation rights in January after she was hospitalized at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center. Since then, she has been under the co-conservatorship of her father, Jamie. (A hearing is set for July 31 to determine if the co-conservatorship will be extended.)

Source: US Weekly

Britney Spears Settlement Details Revealed

The following italicized article is from www.etonline.com:

Britney Spears' settlement agreement forged with Kevin Federline allows the pop star to visit her little boys -- Sean, 2, and Jayden, 1 -- three nights a week, plus two overnight stays for starters, the Associated Press reports.

If that arrangement goes according to plan, she could end up caring for her little boys about 40 percent of the time, her attorney Laura Wasser tells the AP.

Earlier Friday, K-Fed's lawyer Mark Vincent Kaplan told ET he believes the Court will approve the settlement in the days to come.

Source: ET Online

Britney's Child Support Payments Increased!

The following italicized article is from www.x17online.com:

Britney Spears may have gotten the expanded visitation rights with her children she'd been seeking earlier this morning - but her victory comes with a whopper of a price tag!

People reports that one key agreement in Britney and Kevin Federline's custody settlement increases the amount of child support the pop singer must pay her ex-husband by $5000, raising Federline's monthly total from $15,000 to $20,000.

"All Britney was seeking was a formalization of her increased visitation that she's obtained over recent weeks, and the additional overnight," a source told the mag. "She won both of those requests."

And K-Fed won't be the only party getting a payday from the pop princess - the source also tells People that Kevin's lawyer Mark Vincent Kaplan successfully demanded $250,000 for all his work on the case!

Guess that would explain Kaplan's supremely self-satisfied attitude in his post-court press conference - we'd be cocky too if we had a quarter of a million bucks coming our way!

We're a little shocked by this news - after all, didn't Britney already give up enough?

Source: X17

Kaplan "Trial Averted"

The following italicized article is from www.x17online.com:

Kevin Federline's attorney, Mark Vincent Kaplan, just addressed the media outside of the courthouse on the new custody agreement between Britney and Kevin.

In what he dubbed one of the "most anti-climatic moments of your [the journalists'] professional life", Kaplan confirmed that "there's an agreement," the terms of which he wouldn't disclose because at the moment it's a "private agreement" which must "be converted into a legal document with the court," before it can be a final order.

But Kaplan confirmed that "a trial has been averted."

"This has been a long ordeal, and to have that over is extremely rewarding," Kaplan told the press.

"Any settlement requires some movement. The beauty of resolving things by agreement is you take all the chance out of the defined result," Kaplan explained, and can "avoid the economic and emotional cost that comes with any custody case."

We sincerely hope all parties concerned are happy with the outcome!

Source: X17

Britney's Lawyer: "She's Doing Great"

The following italicized article is from www.ok-magazine.com:

Following this morning court proceedings, where lawyers for Britney Spears and Kevin Federline announced to commissioner Scott Gordon that they had agreed on a final settlement in their drawn-out custody battle, Laura Wasser, Brit's attorney spoke to OK! about the resolution to this long legal feud.

"It's a victory for both sides," claims Wasser. "They both want what's best for the kids and they both wanted to avoid a trial. They thought it wasn't necessary or cost-effective."

Wasser also confirmed that Britney still has Sean Preston, 2, and 1-year-old Jayden James for two day visits and one overnight visit per week, adding, "She will have more custodial time by the end of the year."

As for her client's state of mind, the legal eagle says, "Britney's doing great. She's very excited to have her kids overnight today." This is a slight break from the pop star's normal schedule with her boys, which had previously seen them having their overnight visits on Saturday evenings.

And to those who might see this agreement, which has K-Fed maintaining sole physical custody, Wasser clarifies, "There was never a fight over custody; That wasn't the issue... The issue was about getting more time [with the boys.]"

Meanwhile, Kevin's attorney Mark Vincent Kaplan tells OK! that his client is "very happy" with the agreement and with being able to avert the "economic and emotional cost" of a trial.

Currently, the agreement between the Spears and Federline camp is still awaiting approval from Gordon, though he is expected to ratify the deal early next week.

Source: OK Magazine

Britney to Pay K-Fed $20,000 in Child Support

The following italicized article is from www.people.com:

Britney Spears's custody settlement with her ex Kevin Federline came at a price.

A source close to the singer confirms she'll now pay Federline $20,000 a month in child support, an increase from $15,000.

Federline's lawyer, Mark Vincent Kaplan, also demanded and received $250,000 for his work on the case, the source adds.

"All Britney was seeking was a formalization of her increased visitation that she's obtained over recent weeks, and the additional overnight," the source said. "She won both of those requests."

Spears, who is represented by lawyer Laura Wasser, currently sees her sons twice a week with one overnight. The source adds that she will get an additional overnight by year's end, barring any setbacks.

At a press conference following Friday's hearing, Kaplan declined to address any monetary settlement. "This has been a long ordeal [for Kevin]," Kaplan said, "and for it to be over makes him very happy."

Source: People

K-Fed and Lawyer Cash In

The following italicized article is from www.tmz.com:

Settlement means payday for K-Fed and his lawyer.

TMZ has learned under the terms of the settlement, that will become a done deal shortly, K-Fed will get more child support, i.e., more jack in his bank. Currently, he pulls in $15,000 a month from Britney. Under the deal, he'll get just south of $20,000.

As for K-Fed's lawyer, Mark Vincent Kaplan, there's something in this settlement for him. Kaplan, who wanted a trial last month, will now settle and get an additional $200,000 from the bank of Britney.

And, we've learned the court has officially vacated the trial date, even though settlement papers have not been filed. So, no trial, and that's the real headline in this case.

P.S. Legal and physical custody were never at issue because of the conservatorship. The fact is, since last month, Brit has almost doubled her custodial time with the kids.

Source: TMZ