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LOS ANGELES - A court commissioner has agreed to hear arguments that legal filings in the bitter child custody battle between troubled pop star Britney Spears and her ex-husband Kevin Federline should be open to the media.
Los Angeles Superior Court Commissioner Scott Gordon set a September 14 hearing date for lawyers from celebrity magazine People and local television station KNBC to argue that court records should be made public.
Lawyers for Spears and Federline oppose the idea and on July 30, when the couple's divorce was finalized, their attorneys won a conditional order to keep the records sealed. That order stays in place for now.
Spears and Federline are battling over custody of their sons, Sean Preston and Jayden James, who turn 2 years of age and 1 year old in September, respectively.
But in recent months, the public behavior of Spears has grown ever more erratic, and on Tuesday, Federline's lawyer Mark V. Kaplan confirmed his client was seeking greater custody than the current 50:50 agreement.
Outside the hearing, Kaplan told reporters Federline wanted the two boys "isolated from risks," and denied recent published reports that Federline was seeking more money from the former teen singing sensation.
"This has nothing to do with money," Kaplan said.
A separate hearing on modifying the child custody arrangement was set for September 17.
Meanwhile, Spears is rumoured to be opening the upcoming MTV Video Music Awards.
The singer currently working on her comeback album after a two-year break is planning a surprise performance at the Las Vegas ceremony on September 9.
A representative for MTV said: "I cannot confirm or deny it."
Britney, 25, has shocked fans with her recent behaviour.
After divorcing husband Kevin Federline, the mother-of-two has gone off the rails, indulging in wild partying, shaving her head, attacking the paparazzi and ruining designer clothes at an OK! magazine photo shoot.
Her mini-comeback tour was criticised after Britney lip-synched to her past hits.
Spears, 25, rose to pop stardom as a child on cable television's The Disney Channel and as a teenager and young adult became a singing sensation, recording hit songs like Oops ... I Did It Again.
She married Federline, 29, in October 2004, and filed for divorce in November of last year.
A spree of high-profile partying landed her in rehab this past spring.
- REUTERS/BANG! SHOWBIZ
