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LOS ANGELES - Pop singer Britney Spears and her second husband, Kevin Federline, have finalized their divorce and agreed to share custody of their two young sons, court papers showed yesterday.
But Spears' lawyer asked that details of the child custody arrangements remain sealed from public view, citing both media attention and the possibility of "criminals who might target the minor children for financial gain," according to documents obtained by celebrity website TMZ.com.
Spears, 25, filed for divorce last November from Federline, a dancer and aspiring rapper, after two years of marriage citing irreconcilable differences. The couple have two children -- Sean Preston, who turns 2 in September, and Jayden James, who turns one in September.
The marriage was the second for the former pop princess and came eight months after a brief union with a childhood friend in Las Vegas that was annulled after three days.
After filing for divorce from Federline, Spears embarked on a club-hopping, hard-partying lifestyle that ended with her shaving her head and entering rehab in February.
According to TMZ.com. Spears' lawyer, Laura Wasser, asked the judge in the divorce proceedings to keep private the details that relate to the specific timetable and transportation arrangement for the children.
"Such information greatly increases the chances that the actions of the media could threaten the safety of the minor children by, for example, causing a traffic accident or by exposing the minor children to criminals who might target the minor children for financial gain," Wasser wrote in her motion.
A divorce decree officially ending the marriage was issued on Monday. Wasser said details of financial support will also remain confidential.
On Tuesday, Life & Style magazine reported on its website Spears has just sold her house in the seaside enclave of Malibu for just under US$12 million. According to the magazine, the seven-bedroom, hilltop mansion was purchased by an anonymous buyer.
- REUTERS/Nielsen
