Britney Spears and Kevin Federline’s custody settlement was signed Friday by a judge, officially ending their nearly two-year custody battle.

In the deal reached last week, Federline retained sole custody of Preston, 2 1/2, and Jayden, 1 1/2. Spears – who is currently allowed two visits and one overnight per week – will get an additional sleepover by year’s end, barring any setbacks.

“She’s thrilled,” the pop star’s attorney Laura Wasser told PEOPLE. “To have more time with her kids has been her motivation to get well. In light of her outstanding conservatorship, she couldn’t have asked for anything more.”

Spears also agreed to increase Federline’s child support to $20,000 a month (a $5,000 increase) and pay off his $250,000 legal tab. Documents show the child support increase went into effect on July 15, and that Spears’s father, who remains in legal control of her affairs until a July 31 hearing, approved of the settlement terms.

“This has been a long ordeal [for Kevin] and for it to be over makes him very happy,” his lawyer Mark Vincent Kaplan previously said.

Legal experts say the former couple will undoubtedly return to court in the future, since custody settlements can always be modified.

Source: People Magazine

If you’re really curious, you can check out the legal documents here.

Britney Spears is getting more time with her kids. Kevin Federline is getting more money.

That’s the takeaway from the settlement agreement reached between the former fun couple, E! News has learned.

According to the paperwork filed Friday in Los Angeles Superior Court, Spears’ monthly child support payments to K-Fed have been bumped from $15,000 to $20,000, retroactive to July 15, and Federline attorney Mark Vincent Kaplan will get a check for $250,000. (View the court docs.)

Attorneys for the ex-Chaotic tandem had been due in court this afternoon for a second straight day of discussions in the custody battle over sons Sean Preston, 2, and Jayden James, 1.

But at the last minute the hearing was scrapped and the respective lawyers were dispatched to the courthouse to file the settlement documents.

“The hearing has been called off,” a spokesman for Los Angeles Superior Court tells E! News. “A settlement has been reached.”

According to a source close to Spears and familiar with the deal, the 26-year-old singer will also be getting increased time with her boys.

The only thing requested in the settlement by Federline, 30, was “more money for him and his attorney,” the insider says.

The deal means the ex-spouses won’t be headed to a court showdown. A trial in the tug-of-war case had been scheduled for next month.

Spears is well on her way to regaining joint custody of Sean Preston and Jayden James, which she lost following her January meltdown.

“By the end December she will effectively be getting 50-50 time with her boys based on her improvement,” the Spears source says.

Source: E! Online

The California court system breathed a sigh of relief last week when OK! exclusively revealed that Britney Spears and ex-husband Kevin Federline had finally reached an agreement over their prolonged custody battle for their two children.

However, sources tell OK! that Brit’s dad, Jamie Spears, who has been acting as her court-ordered conservator for several months and who has final say over all her legal and financial matters, isn’t happy with the agreement and is refusing to sign off on the settlement.

Both parties are expected back in court today at 2 p.m. PST for an emergency hearing with family court Commissioner Scott Gordon, who had been expected to make the settlement official several days ago.

Outside the courtroom, a spokesperson for the court said, “There apparently is a settlement… We expect it delivered by one of the lawyers this afternoon.”

However, the spokesperson did say that he could not yet say when the details of the settlement will be released to the public.

On July 17, K-Fed’s lawyer spoke exclusively to OK! to announce that he and Brit’s attorney Laura Wasser had worked out an agreement between the feuding spouses. Under the terms of the settlement, Kevin is to retain sole legal and physical custody of Sean Preston, 2, and 1-year-old Jayden James, while Britney will continue to have visitation rights which may increase over time.

The agreement was presented to the court on July 18, at which point commissioner Gordon was expected to finalize the paperwork, finally putting an end to months of back-and-forth feuding.

Source: OK! Magazine

Kevin Federline may be on his way to receiving sole custody, but he’s not the sole winner in his battle with Britney Spears.

Attorneys for both sides met with Superior Court Commissioner Scott Gordon this morning in a bid to get final approval for a deal that would give K-Fed retain primary physical custody of sons Sean Preston, 2, and Jayden James, 1. Spears, meanwhile, will get a boost to her current visitation rights—with the possibility of much more to come.

The deal would also preempt a trial in the case.

“She gets increased visitation and additional overnights, and once the conservatorship ends, she will ask the court to change it back to a shared 50/50 legal and physical custody,” a source close to Spears told E! News.

Laura Wasser, attorney for the 26-year-old “Gimme More” singer, told reporters outside the courtroom that Spears is more than happy with the terms of the deal.

“Britney is really pleased,” she said. “She has the kids today.”

Pleased or not, while the deal is as good as done, it’s not yet on the record books, despite this morning’s hearing.

“I believe we will come to an agreement and the agreement will be converted into a legal document sometime in the future,” Kaplan said. “I will not comment on the terms of the agreement. It will not be filed today.

“Right now it is a private agreement. It has not been turned into an order.”

“Nothing has been filed,” court spokesman Alan Parachini confirmed. “A resolution is imminent. What that is, don’t know, because we haven’t seen it yet.

“Neither Britney nor Kevin came to court today. But [the attorneys] did indicate they are working on a settlement.”

Meanwhile, when the conservatorship of Spears’ estate ends, a source says the singer plans to ask the commissioner to restore shared custody—terms similar to what the couple had prior to her January meltdown.

News of a settlement in the long-gestating, headline-grabbing case broke last night, when Federline attorney Mark Vincent Kaplan told E! News “all the issues that would have been addressed at trial have been settled.”

Source: E! Online

Britney Spears and her ex Kevin Federline have reached a custody settlement in their epic court battle over their two sons – averting a scheduled trial.

According to the agreement, which still needs to be signed off on by the court, Federline retains sole custody of the couple’s two sons, Preston, 2 1/2, and Jayden, 1 1/2. Spears – who’s currently allowed two visits and one overnight per week – will get more visitation rights.

“The case has been settled,” Federline’s attorney, Mark Vincent Kaplan (working with attorney James Simon), tells PEOPLE. “This is the end of a two-year journey.”

Spears’s attorney, Laura Wasser, said outside the courtroom after the hearing: “Britney’s doing great. She’s very pleased [with the settlement]. The kids are with her right now.”

Without giving details, Wasser confirmed that Spears did win “more custodial time” with the boys. A source close to Spears confirms the singer will gain an additional overnight by year’s end, barring any setbacks.

Spears, 26, and Federline, 30, split in November 2006. When their divorce was finalized in July 2007, they shared 50-50 custody. But things took a dramatic turn when Spears – the pop powerhouse worth an estimated $100 million – was twice forcibly hospitalized early this year for mental health issues.

Spears lost all visitation rights with her kids until the following month, and her father Jamie stepped in to take legal control of her affairs.

Despite the settlement, a judge can always modify custody arrangements.

“Until the kids turn 18, we can expect in years to come that Britney and Kevin will be back in court,” says L.A. family lawyer Lynn Soodik, who is not involved with the case. “Britney will have a better chance of winning more custody once she regains her health. This is just the end of Round One.”

Source: People Magazine

In a shocking new development, OK! has learned exclusively that Britney Spears has ended her battle to win back custody of her children, Sean Preston and Jayden James, from ex-husband Kevin Federline.

In an exclusive interview with OK!, Kevin’s attorney Mark Vincent Kaplan says both Britney and Kevin reached and signed off on a settlement in their custody case today.

Kaplan tells OK!, “At about 8 p.m. PT, a final settlement in the Kevin Federline-Britney Spears custody case was signed. All parties have agreed to the following: Kevin will retain sole legal and physical custody of Sean Preston and Jayden James. Britney will continue to have visitation rights which may increase over time. The agreement will be presented to the court in the morning for approval by the commissioner.”

Kaplan adds, “Kevin is ecstatic and the boys are thriving.”

Britney, who remains under the legal conservatorship of her father Jamie Spears, lost custody of her sons to Kevin last October. At the time she had visitation privileges but they were severely restricted following her January hospitalization for psychiatric evaluation.

She currently has monitored visitation with her sons two days a week and one overnight.

Source: OK! Magazine

This is really sad, but obviously Britney and her lawyers think it’s the best decision for now.  Who knows what would have happened if this went to court next month, she could have ended up losing visitation.  It will be better for her to fight it out it in court after the conservatorship has ended.

Britney Spears, her mother Lynne Spears and legal friend Blair Berk were expected to attend the final hearing in Brit’s custody case on Tuesday before her five-day trial begins on August 25. But now OK! has confirmed that the hearing has been delayed until Friday.

The reason? Kevin Federline’s attorney, Mark Vincent Kaplan, says he needs the time to prepare.

“It was my idea to delay it for a day,” Kaplan told OK! on Monday. “But the next available day for Wasser and I was Friday, simple as that. I think I will know better what is needed to go to trial then, than I do now.”

Kaplan says the delay has nothing to do with any kind of settlement.

“It’s more for technical reasons in a complicated case like this,” he told OK!. The door is open if [Laura] Wasser and Blair Berk want to walk through it, but there is no delay because of an impending settlement.”

A previous mediation to settle Brit’s custody case failed, leaving K-Fed’s option for sole legal and physical custody of their two sons, Sean Preston and Jayden James, on the table.

Court insiders have speculated that the singer could request further mediation to avoid going to trial, and in the meantime may ask for more visitation.

Meanwhile, Kevin and his lawyers are moving full steam ahead in order to win permanent full custody.

“I’m preparing to go to trial until I don’t have a reason to go to trial,” Kaplan told OK! on Monday.

Source: OK! Magazine

I wish he would shut his mouth, why does he feel the need to constantly talk to the press about this stuff?

Despite their differences over the last year, Britney Spears and her ex-hubby Kevin Federline have one thing in common — they’d both like to avoid going to trial this summer over the custody of their two young sons Sean Preston and Jayden James.

On Thursday, the pop singer, her father Jamie Spears and K-Fed managed to sneak away to a secret location where they and their attorneys began to try and hammer out an out-of-court custody deal ordered by commissioner Scott Gordon.

However, the all-day meeting (rumored to have been at a 5-star hotel) ultimately resulted in nothing. Both Brit and K-Fed refused to give an inch beyond the current custody status: K-Fed has temporary physical custody and Britney has visitation, which now inlcudes one overnight visit per week.

The long, drawn-out conference seemed to take its toll on the recovering pop star. An eyewitness tells OK! that following the meeting, Brit went directly back to her Studio City home at The Summit and then headed to the Ritz Carlton Hotel where she promptly booked a massage and sauna session.

Looks like the August trial date is still on — for now!

Source: OK! Magazine

Here’s some good news to start your morning – our cameramen report that Britney Spears had her first court-allowed overnight visit with her sons Sean Preston and Jayden James last night!

Our photographers spotted Kevin Federline’s bodyguard dropping the boys off at 6 PM last night. We believe that Kevin’s on his way for a celebrity golf tournament today.

Sean and Jayden weren’t Britney’s only visitors yesterday, though – her manager Larry Rudolph stopped by around 1 PM. In fact, our guys never saw Brit leave her house all day!

Source: X17

Could there finally be an end to the Britney Spears and Kevin Federline custody case? If family court commissioner Scott Gordon has anything to say about it, the answer would be a resounding “yes.”

Only hours after today’s decision to allow Britney to have one overnight visit per week with her boys, OK! has learned that the court has ordered both sides of the dispute over little Sean Preston and Jayden James to meet tomorrow at a neutral, non-court location  to make an attempt at coming to terms on a permanent settlement.

These talks would be very similar to the closed-door mediation sessions that took place during the former couple’s divorce — even more so now that Laura Wasser, Brit’s original attorney in her feud with Federline, has been brought back on the team.

However, the case insiders warn OK! that these discussions may be all for naught, and that it’s likely the case will move ahead with a full trial.

Source: OK! Magazine

Britney Spears was awarded overnight privileges with her sons, PEOPLE confirms.

The pop star hasn’t had her children overnight since January following her forced hospitalization at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center.

A closed-door hearing Tuesday, attended by Spears and her ex, Kevin Federline, also saw the return of Spears’s first divorce lawyer, Laura Wasser, who has officially replaced Stacy Phillips.

L.A. Superior Court spokesman Allan Parachini confirmed that Spears’s parenting coach attended the hearing and made statements to the court, and that Spears’s demeanor before the commissioner was “businesslike.”

“I think any judge is pleased to see progress being made by parties in a case,” Parachini added.

Details of the hearing’s outcome were not announced. But a source confirms for PEOPLE that Spears will now be allowed to have her sons Preston, 2 1/2, and Jayden, 1 1/2, with her overnight.

The former couple face a custody trial in August, unless they can settle their case amicably out of court.

Their next hearing is set for July 15.

The overnight visits were first reported by TMZ.com.

Source: People Magazine

Britney Spears and ex-husband Kevin Federline separately arrived at a Los Angeles court Tuesday for a custody hearing.

Spears, 26, is apparently seeking a change in her visitation schedule, but details weren’t immediately known.

At 8:40 a.m., a somber-looking Federline, wearing a beige suit, entered the courtroom along with his lawyer Mark Vincent Kaplan

Spears, also looking somber, entered shortly thereafter with her father. Her blonde hair was straight and long and she wore a white shirt, beige pants, and wedges. She took a seat in the right side of the courtroom, while Federline was seated on left side.

Laura Wasser, Spears’s original divorce lawyer, is reportedly rejoining the singer’s legal team. Wasser was seen entering the courtroom along with a lawyer working for Spears’s conservatorship.

The pop star currently has monitored visitation with her sons, Preston, 2, and Jayden, 1, three times a week.

The ex-couple faces a custody trial in August if they’re unable to settle their case out of court.

“Our goal is to settle what we can without a trial to achieve what’s in the best interest of the children,” Kaplan tells PEOPLE. “But whatever can’t be resolved with a private mediator will be brought to trial.”

Spears’s father remains in legal control of his daughter’s affairs until a July 31 hearing.

Source: People Magazine

Britney Spears will get more time with her sons during visitation, a court ruled Tuesday.

“We are so pleased with Britney’s progress, and we are appreciative of the court’s recognition of this progress,” Spears’s parents, Jamie and Lynne Spears, said in statement after a hearing attended by the pop star and her ex-husband Kevin Federline.

It was not clear how much more time Spears was granted. Federline’s attorney characterized the court order as “an expansion of time.”

“It is a cautious step, but a step forward nonetheless,” said lawyer Mark Vincent Kaplan. “We are seeing signs of [Britney's] progress, and consistency over time is something welcome by Kevin … The children are doing great.”

Spears, with lawyer Blair Berk and both of her parents, smiled as she left the courtroom and headed for her SUV, but did not talk to the press. Earlier, during a break in the hearing, the singer was seen looking teary-eyed. However, during a second break, she smiled and held her mother’s hand as she went back into the courtroom.

During that break, Spears and her lawyers, as well as Federline and his attorney, convened to adjacent rooms outside of the courtroom.

The hearing began around 9:40 a.m. on Tuesday. Spears, wearing a knee-length brown and white dress, was accompanied by her lawyer and both of her parents. Federline, wearing a tan pinstriped suit, was with Kaplan.

Spears has spent the last several months keeping a relatively low profile – and staying out of trouble. The singer was hospitalized at UCLA Medical Center’s psych ward in January. Her custody arrangement has consisted of only monitored visitation rights with her sons, Preston, 2, and Jayden, 1, several times a week – but no overnight privileges. Her father and a lawyer maintain legal control of her affairs until a July 31 hearing.

Since her father took control of Spears’s life, the singer has been spending more time with her family – including her previously estranged mom. (She recently attended a baby shower for her sister, Jamie Lynn, in Kentwood, La.)

Spears has also been hard at work filming her second appearance on How I Met Your Mother, which will air May 12.

Source: People Magazine