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The following italicized article is from www.people.com:Two days after hitting the links with Jamie Spears, Kevin Federline arrived in court Monday for a hearing over legal fees in his custody battle with Britney Spears. Still sporting a Mohawk, and wearing a dark gray suit, Federline arrived looking trim. Seated in the front row of the courtroom, he chatted with Jamie Spears, who was in the second row, as they waited for the judge to take the bench. According to a source, Britney's new custody attorney, Stacy Phillips, plans to dispute a $500,000 tab from Federline's attorney Mark Vincent Kaplan – which Spears was ordered by the court to pay – as well as a $600,000 bill from the law firm of Trope & Trope, who previously represented her in the custody case. In the afternoon, attorneys representing Jamie Spears, who is serving as temporary co-conservator for his troubled daughter, will appear before a probate court commissioner to discuss a timetable for updates on her psychiatric condition. Source: People
The following italicized article is from www.tmz.com:In a stunning development, Britney Spears and Bill Shakespeare have something in common -- they both want to kill all the lawyers.The custody case is back in court this morning, and Brit's lawyer will make a frontal attack on the lawyers on both sides of the case. We know the firm that just quit the case -- Trope and Trope -- has billed Brit more than $600,000 in legal fees over the last five months they repped her. And K-Daddy's lawyer, Mark Vincent Kaplan, has billed half a mil over the last four months. The court has already ruled Brit has to pay MVK's "reasonable" attorney's fees.We're told it's going to get hot in court. There's been a theory for a long time -- some divorce lawyers use the pain of a split to fleece clients and keep the dispute alive when it should be settled. Whether true or not in this case, we're told that's what Brit's lawyer will argue.One of the points will be that multiple lawyers on both sides have appeared for every hearing and it's just to jack up the bill.Stay tuned ...Source: TMZ
The following italicized article is from www.x17online.com:Sam Lutfi's spokesperson, Michael Sands, is set to be deposed tomorrow -- not as a representative of Sam but as the former spokesperson for Kevin Federline's attorney Mark Vincent Kaplan. He's being put under oath in connection with KFed's custody suit.Brit's former attorneys Trope & Trope subpoenaed Sands in hopes of getting some dirt on Kaplan and some inside scoop on the way Kevin's custody case is being run. And it looks like they'll get it! (Attorney Stacy Phillips will be handling the case now.)Sands says he's privy to LOTS of juicy details; he told X17online exclusive, the following:"I'll have to reveal the name of the person who told me Sam Lufti was a drug dealer and that I should plant that he was a drug dealer in the media. There were two people who witnessed this and I'll have to say who they are... "I'll also have to reveal the name of the person who told me, after I'd beensubpoenaed -- I'd already picked up the subpoena from my post office box -- to actually take the subpoena back to the post office and put it back in thebox. I was told to pretend I'd never got it."Whoa! And then Brit IS set to testify on March 17th in favor of dropping the restraining order against Sam, we hear. Lots and lots of legal battles to come!Will Brit also testify against her parents to have her father's conservatorship over her estate removed?Is Jamie, who filed for bankruptcy in 1988, the best choice of people to be handling Britney's finances? And what about reports that Britney's money has been slowly disappearing over the past year? If it's true, where has that money been going?Source: X17
The following italicized article is taken from www.pagesix.com:Michael Sands, current spokesman for Sam Lutfi and Jon Eardley and former spokesman for Mark Vincent Kaplan, will very soon be deposed in Britney Spears' custody case.PageSix.com has exclusively learned that Sands, who had been subpoenaed by Brit lawyers Trope and Trope, will now be questioned by new Spears family law attorney Stacey Phillips at her Los Angeles office on March 5.
Inside sources explain that Kaplan, K-Fed's lawyer, "is extremely nervous and apprehensive about the deposition and is expected to object to any line of questioning that Michael could have been privy to while he worked for Kaplan."And we don't blame him. An enthusiastic Sands exclusively tells us, "I welcome the opportunity to testify under oath about what Mark said to me about Sam Lutfi, and I'm willing to take a lie detector test to talk about what the truth is about Sam Lutfi and other specifics regarding the ongoing custody battle. I wonder why Mark is worried about my deposition."Sands adds that he would also be happy to testify at Sam's restraining-order hearing, slated for March 17, telling us, "Ye shall know the truth and the truth shall set you free!"Source: Page Six
The following italicized article is taken from www.ok-magazine.com:Despite a desire on both sides of the Britney Spears and Kevin Federline custody battle to see the pop star reunited with her two boys, no agreement was reached in court on Tuesday and Britney's visitation privileges remain as before, meaning that the pop star can only speak to her children over the phone.Speaking to OK! after today's proceedings, Kevin's attorney Mark Vincent Kaplan said that his client "wants to see the day when the boys have their mom back in their life... it's just a question of working out the details."Of course, this news was just the capper on what was a big day in court for the lawyers in the Spears/Federline case.As OK! was the first to report, Britney Spears has found new legal representation in the form of celeb divorce specialist Stacy Phillips. This comes in the wake of her lawyers at Trope & Trope filing their second request to be removed from the child custody case.Phillips, who has handled the former spouses of everyone from Axl Rose to Tori Spelling, was accepted by the court and will officially replace Trope & Trope at the end of today's proceedings. (CLICK HERE for a more detailed background on this dragon lady of divorce).For today, Phillips will work alongside Trope attorney Anne Kiley as she argues several issues, including visitation privileges and a request for a gag order.First up today was the issue of the gag order. In a statement to the judge, Kiley claimed that "First Amendment rights aren't absolute... We are not trying to control the paparazzi. We are trying to control what we can control." Kiley then pointed a legal finger at Kaplan, saying, "We have heard nothing from the respondent in his papers or arguments as to why it is that attorneys need to make statements to the media."For his part, Kaplan argued that since the court has sealed most of the documents related to the case and since the courtroom is often closed to the public, there is no need for the gag order. And it appears that Commissioner Gordon agreed, ruling against the request and stating that "the public has a right to know what the court is doing and to see that it's fair." He added, "all the attorneys in this case have proceeded with nothing but dignity."Source: OK Magazine
The following italicized article is taken from www.tmz.com:The lawyers couldn't agree amongst themselves -- so Brit will not get visitation with Sean Preston and Jayden James.There is no change in the custody order. Also, the Commish made it clear - the issues with the conservatorship being removed to Federal court have no bearing on the custody case.Also, Trope and Trope is out as Brit's lawyer. Stacy Phillips is now the new lawyer on the case.It's ironic, we know K-Daddy wants Brit to have visitation and the lawyers came to court today trying to accommodate that, but it didn't happen. Daddy Jamie also has wanted to create some normalcy in Brit's life and wanted visitation restored in a bad way, but it wasn't meant to be.UPDATE: We hear they're going to work through lunch to try to hammer out an agreement and they'll all be back in court at 1:30 PM PT.Source: TMZ
The following italicized article is taken from www.tmz.com:TMZ has learned attorney Stacy Phillips will take the reigns in Britney's custody case - we'll, kinda sorta.Sources say Phillips, who has repped Bobby Brown and Tori Spelling's ex, will represent the conservatorship, which is making decisions in the custody case. We're told Jamie Spears has signed off on Phillips, so the way is clear for Trope and Trope to leave the case. But there's a catch.We're told Commish Scott Gordon wants assurance that Brit will be protected with a lawyer SHE personally chooses when the conservatorship ends. Phillips is in court right now and there will be big developments today.Stay tuned ...Source: TMZ
The following italicized article is taken from www.ok-magazine.com:As lawyers for Britney Spears and Kevin Federline head into the courtroom Tuesday morning, they'll be coming armed to discuss a number of topics — from visitation rights to gag orders to announcing a new attorney for Britney.Primary among these will be the likely request by Brit's side that the singer, who for now only has the right to speak to her boys, Sean Preston, 2, and one-year-old Jayden James, over the phone, be allowed to spend some supervised time with them. "She has regular conversations with the boys," a source close to the Spears family confirms to OK!. "But obviously since they're so young, there's only so much connecting you can do over the phone."However, sources tell OK! that it's unlikely the Commissioner will grant any change in the current visitation privileges until a complete psychological evaluation is completed.Next up on the day's legal menu is the gag order that OK! reported about over the weekend. This was actually something Brit's legal team had requested be put in place in late 2007, but is only now coming up on the agenda. If granted, it would bar everyone involved in the case from speaking publicly about the matter.But perhaps the most crucial issue to come before the court today would be the changing of Brit's legal guard. Last week, her current reps from Trope & Trope filed another request with the court to be removed immediately from the case. Many insiders believe that their replacement will be named during today's hearing. And while some say Brit's original attorney Laura Wasser will return to the fray, OK!'s sources are saying the most likely replacement is divorce-attorney-to-the-stars Stacy Phillips.Stay tuned to OK! throughout the day as this story develops.Source: OK Magazine
The following italicized article is taken from www.people.com:Attorneys for Britney Spears return to court Tuesday morning for the first scheduled custody hearing since the pop star's most recent hospitalization. Insiders doubt there will be any major change from the current custody arrangement, which bars Spears from visiting her sons Preston, 2, and Jayden, 1. (She is, however, allowed telephone contact.) Still, it's possible the 26-year-old singer – who hasn't seen the boys since her Jan. 3 standoff with police – could be awarded some temporary physical access.Tuesday's court session – which was scheduled after Spears's stay in the psych ward at the UCLA Medical Center – sets the stage for more major hearings in the coming weeks, as Spears and Kevin Federline seek to reevaluate their custody agreement. (Her former husband and backup dancer is seeking full physical custody.) The judge may also hear arguments from Federline's attorney, Mark Vincent Kaplan, who has asked for a full psychological evaluation of the troubled pop star. But the biggest news out of today's hearing could be a change in representation for Spears. Los Angeles attorney Sorrell Trope has asked – for the second time – to be released from the case. (The law firm of Trope & Trope filed similar papers in January, but later withdrew the request. Possible replacements include Laura Wasser, who resigned from Spears's case in September. At the time, she denied "dumping" Spears, telling PEOPLE the singer's legal team simply needed "fresh blood." But Wasser appears to be back in the picture, after reportedly visiting Spears during her UCLA stay. Source: People
The following italicized article is taken from www.x17online.com:That's what we're hearing! An X17 source tells us that Commissioner Scott Gordon has apparently "had it" with the large number of ex-parte hearings called in the Britney case - they're not normal. Tomorrow's 8:30 a.m. hearing (Brit herself is not expected to appear) will consolidate a number of issues. Also, Britney's lawyers Trope and Trope - who are arguing for Brit even though they're on their way out - will make a motion to revert to the September '07 order, which would give back Britney and ex-husband Kevin Federline 50-50 custody of their two boys. We also hear Trope and Trope will request a gag order. Britney's been recently talking with her new attorney, Jon Eardley, telling him: "I want my life back.! Via his spokesman Michael Sands, Eardley tells us that "the conservatorship is radically oppressive and unnecessary."In the paperwork filed by Eardley last Thursday, the documents point out Brit's "deprivation of civil rights." This includes the following: - Britney not being allowed "a single hearing before the court" - Not being able to "access counsel of her choosing and to meet with her counsel in a private meeting"- Being "denied the right to associate freely with her friends" - which also includes no telephone calls, no driving nor the right "to receive and send mail" - And lastly, "she has been denied the right to her finances."That's quite a lot to have taken away, don't ya think?Source: X17
The following italicized article is taken from www.ok-magazine.com:Sources close to Britney Spears are telling OK! that the most likely candidate to replace her current lawyers in her ongoing custody battle with ex-husband Kevin Federline is family-law attorney to the stars Stacy Phillips of the law firm Phillips, Lerner, Lauzon & Jamra.Phillips is no stranger to high-profile cases, having represented Bobby Brown, baseball legend Darryl Strawberry, and the ex-spouses of Axl Rose, Tori Spelling and Jean-Claude Van Damme, among many others in her 24 years of family law practice. The Ivy League legal eagle — she has degrees from both Dartmouth and Columbia — is one of the most feared divorce and custody attorneys in the country and has recently written the book Divorce: It's All About Control How to Win the Emotional, Psychological and Legal Wars. Ironically, Divorce received a certificate of commendation from the Mayor of Los Angeles, Antonio Villaraigosa, whose soon-to-be-ex-wife Corina is represented by... that's right — Phillips!Last week, Brit's current attorneys from the firm Trope & Trope filed their second request to the court to be removed from the singer's custody case.Calls for comment from Phillips and K-Fed's attorney Mark Vincent Kaplan have not yet been returned.Source: OK Magazine
The following italicized article is taken from www.people.com:Britney Spears's divorce lawyer was in court Wednesday seeking permission to drop the troubled pop star as a client in her custody case with Kevin Federline. Sorrell Trope and an attorney for Federline emerged from the closed-door session without comment. The matter was continued until next Tuesday. Trope, of the law firm Trope and Trope, requested the substitution-of-attorney hearing before an L.A. court commissioner. In the past, he has cited communication problems with Spears. Trope, who has vacillated for the past six weeks on whether he wants to leave the case, intended to ask to be relieved immediately, sources tell PEOPLE. Among the possible replacements was Trope's predecessor, Laura Wasser, who resigned in September. According to media reports, Wasser visited Spears when she was at the UCLA psych ward earlier this month, and Spears's parents want her back. Hearings are scheduled over the next several weeks in the custody case. Currently Federline has full custody of Sean Preston, 2, and Jayden James, 1, and Spears can only contact the boys by phone.Source: People
The following italicized article is taken from www.ok-magazine.com:As OK! reported last night, lawyers from the firm of Trope & Trope, who represent Britney Spears in her custody battle with ex-husband Kevin Federline, marched into court this morning to ask the court — again — to be removed from the case.You might remember that Trope did the same thing in January, only to withdraw the motion later. So it was a familiar scene outside the L.A. courthouse today as Brit's current legal eagles, along with K-Fed's attorney Mark Vincent Kaplan, entered to meet with the judge. However, after about 30 minutes of closed-door conferencing, all that could be revealed openly was that the matter had been pushed off until next Tuesday, Feb. 19, at 8:30am.Insiders tell OK! that the judge doesn't want Trope ditching the case unless there's someone there to take up the case in their absence. It's been widely reported that Britney's family has been trying to woo her original attorney in the case, Laura Wasser, back. But OK!'s insider says that Wasser is wavering on whether or not to rejoin the case.Meanwhile, court is in session again tomorrow, when the status of Jamie Spears' conservatorship over his daughter will be reviewed. He and a court-appointed co-conservator have had control over Brit's medical and financial matters since her Jan. 31 court-ordered hospitalization.Source: OK Magazine
The following italicized article is taken from www.tmz.com:Britney Spears' lawyers made it clear today in court: they want out. But it ain't that easy.After meeting privately in chambers with Commissioner Scott Gordon, the matter was continued to Feb. 19. But here's what we know: the Commish wants to make sure when Trope and Trope says sayonara, someone has to be in place to handle the case. We're told the Commish wants Trope and Trope to come back with a plan and wants to know specifically who's coming in.As we first reported, Britney secretly met with disso queen Laura Wasser, who represented her during the divorce, but quit Brit a few months back.Sour
ce: TMZ
The following italicized article is taken from www.people.com:Britney Spears's divorce lawyer arrived at court Wednesday seeking permission to drop the troubled pop star as a client in her custody case with Kevin Federline. Sorrell Trope of the law firm Trope and Trope requested the substitution-of-attorney hearing before an L.A. court commissioner. In the past, he has cited communication problems with Spears. Trope, who has vacillated for the past six weeks on whether he wants to leave the case, was now expected to ask to be relieved immediately, sources tell PEOPLE.Among the possible replacements was Trope's predecessor, Laura Wasser, who resigned in September.According to media reports, Wasser visited Spears when she was at the UCLA psych ward earlier this month, and Spears's parents want her back. Hearings are scheduled over the next several weeks in the custody case. Currently Federline has full custody of Sean Preston, 2, and Jayden James, 1, and Spears can only contact the boys by phone.Source: People
The following italicized article is taken from www.ok-magazine.com:In the weeks following Britney Spears' first trip to the hospital in early January, it seemed unlikely to many that the pop star would get back any of the visitations privileges she'd lost after the four-hour standoff with the authorities.However, sources inside Brit's ongoing battle with ex-hubby Kevin Federline are now telling OK! that, in light of being on her best behavior in the last week, K-Fed is warming to the idea of easing up on the Britney ban for their two sons, Sean Preston, 2, and one-year-old Jayden James."Kevin's never wanted Britney out of the boys' lives," the insider explains to OK!. "He just felt that she needed to get her sh** together first. If she can prove she's not a danger to the boys, I don't see why he would keep her away any longer."And with Brit appearing to be focusing again on her career and on mending fences with her estranged parents, all sides are hopeful the pop star isn't just playing nice until a court dissolves her father's conseratorship over her financial and personal matters.Speaking of which, the matter of whether Jamie Spears should continue as conservator will be discussed in court on Thursday. The result of that hearing will probably have a strong influence on whether or not K-Fed will continue fighting Brit's visitation privileges.Meanwhile, another source tells OK! that it's possible that Trope & Trope, Britney's attorneys in the custody war, will be heading to court early Wednesday morning to ask once again to be removed from the case. If that happens, OK! will be there to bring you the news as it happens.Source: OK Magazine
The following italicized article is taken from www.tmz.com:TMZ has learned there's another hearing tomorrow in the Britney Spears custody saga.We're told Brit's law firm, Trope and Trope, has filed an ex parte motion to get out of the case even faster than scheduled. Right now, Trope's motion to withdraw as counsel is set to be heard on March 10, but apparently Trope can't wait to get out. We're told that tomorrow, the firm will ask the Commissioner to hear its request earlier.Trope and Trope filed the withdrawal motion one day after TMZ reported that disso queen Laura Wasser secretly visited Brit in the hospital last week, and that Jamie Spears wanted to replace Trope with Laura. That's gotta hurt! But the fact is, we're hearing the firm has been divided for a while over whether it was a good idea to keep representing Britney.Wasser would not return calls, but we're told she doesn't want back in because the case is nothing but grief.The hearing is set for tomorrow at 8:30 AM. Stay tuned.UPDATE: Sources say there are two major reasons why Trope wants out, stat. First, they're pissed off that Brit likes Laura more, but even more fundamentally, it's impossible to rep anyone when you can't communicate with them, and we're told the court-appointed lawyer for Britney will not let the Trope lawyers have any contact with Britney. Source: TMZ
The following italicized article is taken from www.people.com:In a shake-up, Britney Spears' business manager is close to being fired and her divorce attorney has asked the court for permission to drop her as a client. Howard Grossman, the business manager, tells PEOPLE he is aware he was the subject of a closed-door hearing Thursday but he has no idea why a temporary conservator's motion to give Spears's father the right to fire him was granted. Court papers show that Grossman was served Thursday with orders to surrender "all documents, records and assets relating to Britney Spears." "The only thing I will say is my reputation speaks for itself," Grossman says. "I couldn't tell you why they chose this path."Also, divorce lawyer Sorrell Trope tells PEOPLE he filed papers Friday asking permission to be released as Spears's attorney in her custody battle with Kevin Federline. A hearing will be held on the matter on March 10. The high-profile divorce attorney had filed similar papers several weeks ago, but retracted them. "We filed paper asking to be relieved, and hopefully they will find someone to replace us," Trope tells PEOPLE. "I'm not at liberty to say more at this time."Source: People
The following italicized article is taken from www.tmz.com:TMZ has learned that Britney Spears' divorce lawyers, Trope and Trope, have filed papers requesting to be removed as her counsel. A hearing on the matter is scheduled for March 10.Could this be the first step in the process to bring back Spears family fave Laura Wasser? Stay tuned.Source: TMZ
The following italicized article is taken from www.tmz.com:TMZ has learned disso queen Laura Wasser paid a secret visit at the UCLA psych ward last Tuesday, and the family wants Laura back as Brit's custody attorney.Wasser, who repped Brit in the divorce, quit the case -- we're told because Britney wouldn't listen to her. But sources say Jamie and Lynne want her back.TMZ knows Jamie wants to 86 Trope and Trope as Brit's reps, in part because they have been chummy with Sam Lutfi. People at UCLA say Britney "lit up" when she saw Wasser. But there's a hitch -- we're told the deal will be sealed ONLY if Britney doesn't fight the conservatorship. As of Tuesday, she was fine letting Jamie call the shots, but it looks like that's changed. If Brit accepts the conservatorship and Jamie is at the reins, Laura Wasser could be back in the Britney business.Source: TMZ
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The following italicized article is from www.people.com:
