Attorney argues to keep LA County off Spears’ case

An attorney for Britney Spears on Monday asked a court commissioner to keep county authorities from reviewing court filings in the pop star’s child custody dispute.

Thomas Paine Dunlap, an attorney for Spears, argued that it would be best for her two young sons that the case remain sealed.

He said the Los Angeles County Department of Children and Family Services and its representative, the county counsel’s office, are a “large bureaucracy with thousands of employees” where the details of the case could easily leak out.

Kevin Federline’s attorney, Mark Vincent Kaplan, argued that if the court was going turn files over it should identify and only release relevant issues in the case that are connected to the DCFS investigation of Spears’ parenting skills.

After Dunlap and Kaplan spoke, a county attorney representing DCFS asked for the hearing to be closed and Superior Court Commissioner Scott M. Gordon’s decision on the matter was not disclosed.

Spears, 25, and Federline, 29, were married in October 2004. The two have wrangled in court over custody issues since they split. Their divorce was final in July.

Among other issues addressed behind closed doors on Monday was a new holiday visitation schedule for Sean Preston, 2, and Jayden James, 1.

But Superior Court spokesman Allan Parachini would not provide details as to which holidays the boys would spend with which parent. Kaplan also would not comment.

“Kevin feels it’s absolutely appropriate that they both get to see the kids at the holidays,” Kaplan said.

The boys spent Thanksgiving eve with their mother and Thanksgiving day with their father.

The commissioner also issued another order in the case Monday, but Parachini would not provide details.

The next hearing is scheduled for Jan. 23 and the custody evaluation is scheduled to be completed and submitted to the court on April 9.

“I’m hoping that the April hearing will resolve a lot” of the custody case, Kaplan said outside court.