HOLLYWOOD, Calif. – Britney Spears did not appear in court on Monday for the start of a hearing in her child custody battle with ex-husband Kevin Federline.
The fallen pop star’s whereabouts were not immediately known as the hearing began in a Los Angeles courtroom, with Federline in attendance and a herd of media waiting in the wings.
As Federline was ushered into court by his attorneys, photographers waited outside the courthouse for any sign of Spears, with news helicopters circling overhead.
On Jan. 4, a distraught Spears, 26, was taken to the hospital on a stretcher following a confrontation with Federline’s representatives over custody of their two young sons, 2-year-old Sean Preston and 1-year-old Jayden James. The event led to Superior Court Commissioner Scott Gordon suspending her visitation rights and ordering Monday’s emergency hearing.
At today’s hearing, Gordon was expected to listen to testimony from police officers and others who were present at the incident before determining whether to restore Spears’ visitation rights.
Spears married Federline in October 2004. The star’s life has spiraled downward ever since their divorce in 2006. She has been photographed without underwear and has appeared drunk and out-of-control in public on several occasions. The severity of her downfall perhaps became most clear when she shaved her head. She later beat a car with an umbrella and spent a month in rehab.
Despite the downfall, Spears’ latest album, “Blackout,” received positive acclaim from critics when it was released in October. The album even brought Spears her first No. 1 hit in years, “Gimme More.”
