Britney gives up custody of kids to ex

BRITNEY Spears agreed yesterday to give up the fight for custody of her two sons after a legal battle lasting a year and a half.
Kevin Federline, the troubled pop star’s former husband, will have sole legal and physical custody of Sean Preston, two, and Jayden James, 18 months, his lawyer said.  
The couple have agreed that Miss Spears, 26, will have visitation rights that will allow her to see the boys.
She’ll now pay Federline $20,000 a month in child support, an increase from $15,000, according to reports.
Mark Vincent Kaplan, Federline’s lawyer, announced the decision to a U.S. news channel after the agreement was signed by Federline and Miss Spears. The deal will prevent the case from going to trial next month as previously planned.
Mr Kaplan said: ‘The case has been settled. The court still has to approve it. All the issues that would have been addressed at trial have been settled. Orders now in place will stay in place.’
Federline, 30, currently has full temporary custody of the children, but the lawyer said he had not intended to fight for sole custody.
‘Kevin was not [out] to get custody,’ said Mr Kaplan. ‘Kevin’s goal was to set up some kind of template so the mother of his children can co-parent.
‘He said, “I need to have Britney involved in the co-parenting of the kids but I need there to be a structure”.’
The lawyer admitted, however, that his client was ‘absolutely delighted’ with the result. ‘Nobody could have anticipated the turn of events that has occurred,’ he said.