Britney Spears carries her son Jayden James Federline as an assistant carries her other son Sean Preston Federline, as Spears leaves a restaurant in Malibu, California. Photo / TMZ/Reuters
Britney Spears carries her son Jayden James Federline as an assistant carries her other son Sean Preston Federline, as Spears leaves a restaurant in Malibu, California. Photo / TMZ/Reuters
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LOS ANGELES - Pop star Britney Spears lost custody of her two young children because she apparently failed to take court-ordered drug and alcohol tests or obtain a valid California driver's license, her lawyer told a magazine.
A Los Angeles judge yesterday ordered Spears' ex-husband, Kevin Federline, totake sole custody of their two sons, Sean Preston, 2, and Jayden James, 1, until further notice starting Wednesday.
Meanwhile, the celebrity website TMZ.com reported that Spears had already turned over the boys to her former spouse and moved into a five-star Beverly Hills Hotel, where "security flanked the popwreck and tried to chase away any photogs who ventured onto the property."
The same judge, Superior Court Commissioner Scott Gordon, had ordered Spears two weeks ago to undergo random drug testing and hire a parenting coach after finding evidence of her "habitual, frequent and continuous use of controlled substances and alcohol."
Gordon did not make public his reasons for stripping Spears of custody. But her attorney, Sorrell Trope, told People magazine that the judge acted after the singer failed to prove compliance with his orders.
"Specifically the judge ordered that by 10am (Monday) morning, both parties show valid California driving licenses. I've been unable to produce evidence of that," Trope said.
He added that another reason behind the judge's custody ruling "was a claim by Mr. Federline's attorney that she had not complied with a previous order the court had made - ... about having a random drug and alcohol test."
"There's no evidence that she actually failed a test," the lawyer said. But he added that the judge had scheduled a new hearing for Wednesday because of her failure to comply with previous orders made by the court.
Representatives for Spears and Federline were not immediately available for comment.
Spears' latest setback in court follows a year of erratic behavior and club-hopping since separating from Federline last November, during which she shaved her head, checked in and out of rehab programs, and struggled to stage a career comeback.
