Britney ordered to help K-Fed pay fees - Mar 18 2008
A Los Angeles court commissioner has ordered Britney Spears to pay her ex-husband Kevin Federline 375,000 dollars to cover his legal fees in their child custody dispute.

Federline's lead lawyer Mark Vincent Kaplan asked for nearly 500,000 dollars.

Commissioner Scott Gordon has issued the order in response to arguments which were presented last week.

The pop star's lawyer Stacy Phillips argued that Mr Kaplan was overbilling and that Federline can pay his own legal bills.

But Mr Gordon said that Britney's actions led to a great majority of the litigation and delays in the case.

Federline, 29, has full custody of the couple's two young sons, two-year-old Sean Preston and Jayden James, who is one.

The pop songstress, 26, and Kevin Federline tied the knot in 2004 and their divorce was finalised in 2007.

Britney pays £500,000 custody costs - Mar 11 2008
Britney Spears has already spent a million dollars (£500,000) on legal fees in her child custody case and objects to paying half a million dollars to ex-husband Kevin Federline’s lawyers, her lawyer has said.

Attorney Stacy Phillips told a Los Angeles court that Federline’s lawyers are entitled to only about 150,000 to 175,000 dollars (£75,000-£87,000).

She also says Federline has the ability to pay his lawyers on his own.

Federline’s attorney Mark Vincent Kaplan says the case is unusually complicated and all the billing is legitimate.

Commissioner Scott Gordon has not yet ruled on the matter and the hearing is continuing behind closed doors.

It comes after a court ordered Spears’ father Jamie to take control of the star’s finances for another five months.

In documents released by Los Angeles Superior Court, commissioner Reva Goetz also ordered compensation for James Spears in the amount of 2,500 dollars (£1,260) a week from Spears’ estate. He was also authorised to lease a vehicle.

Britney’s father keeps control - Mar 6 2008
A Los Angeles court has given Britney Spears’ father control of the troubled pop star’s finances and estate for another five months.

Superior Court Commissioner Reva Goetz extended James Spears’ control until July 31, said court spokesman Alan Parachini.

Mr Spears was named co-conservator of the pop star’s estate after she was taken to hospital twice in January. His temporary authority to handle her affairs had been due to expire on March 10.

In the year leading up to the hospital admissions Spears, 26, had been caught on camera by paparazzi engaging in increasingly bizarre behaviour. She shaved her head, beat a vehicle with an umbrella, wore skirts without underwear and left her car on a busy thoroughfare after getting a flat tyre.

The outbursts contributed to her losing custody of her young sons, Jayden one, and Sean, two.

Her ex-husband Kevin Federline continues to have full custody but Spears was allowed brief visits with the boys from late February after not seeing them for nearly two months.

That happened after Spears and Mr Federline "agreed to a modification of the court’s order" that had stripped Spears of her visitation rights, according to Mr Federline’s lawyer Mark Kaplan.

Spears’ parents came to Los Angeles around the time of her second hospital admission and pushed to restore visitation rights with the boys.

Britney warned over spending? - Mar 4 2008
Troubled pop princess Britney Spears has apparently been warned she could run out of money in four years.