A family court suspended Britney Spears'
visitation rights to her two young sons on Friday after the pop
star was hospitalized in a fit of hysterics over their handover
to ex-husband Kevin Federline.
The Los Angeles court commissioner handling the bitter custody
dispute between Spears and Federline suspended the pop star's
visitation rights at an emergency hearing, a court document
showed.
The document, first obtained by celebrity Web site TMZ.com, said
Spears "visitation with the minor children is suspended pending
further order of the court."
It added that Federline was awarded "sole legal and physical
custody" of the boys. The order is in effect until Jan. 14.
The court order was issued as Spears, 26, spent the day in a Los
Angeles hospital, apparently under mental evaluation. She lost
custody of the boys in October last year but had been allowed
court-monitored visits three times a week.
But at the end of their visit on Thursday night, police were
called to her Los Angeles home when she refused to hand the boys
back to Federline's representatives.
Television pictures showed Spears being taken out of her house
on a stretcher and driven to Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in an
ambulance after a four-hour standoff in which the pop singer
reportedly locked herself in a bathroom.
Los Angeles police spokesman Jason Lee said Spears was under the
influence of an unknown substance and was being detained and
evaluated in the hospital.
UNDER CONSTANT WATCH
Us magazine, citing a source at Los Angeles' Cedars-Sinai
Medical Center, said Spears had been designated a "special
needs" patient and was under constant watch.
Another source told Us magazine that in the ambulance Spears had
to be restrained like a mental patient and she "was going
between laughing and hysterics."
Cedars-Sinai declined to comment, citing patient
confidentiality.
Federline's lawyer Mark Vincent Kaplan declined to give details
of Friday's closed-door court hearing.
"I am not happy about anything that has happened recently," he
told reporters. "There are no winners right now."
Spears' mother, Lynne, told the Access Hollywood television
program: "Just say prayers."
Spears lost primary custody of Sean Preston, 2, and Jayden
James, 1, to Federline after her life spun out of control
following their divorce, her stints in rehab, a bizarre
head-shaving episode and reports of drinking and drug use.
She is currently undergoing court-ordered random drug and
alcohol tests and parenting lessons.
Spears became a teen pop phenomenon nine years ago. She made her
musical comeback in October with a new single, "Gimme More," and
an album, "Blackout," that played strongly on radio and digital
download charts and briefly hit No. 2 on the U.S. pop album
charts.