Britney Keeps It Brief at Custody Meeting

LOS ANGELES (Jan. 3) - Britney Spears finally appeared Thursday for a deposition in her child-custody battle with Kevin Federline, her ex-husband's lawyer said.
Spears was deposed for just 14 minutes, attorney Mark Vincent Kaplan told reporters after the 26-year-old singer left.
Paparazzi sprinted after Spears, who was wearing a hot pink dress and sunglasses, as she drove away from the Century City office tower in a white Mercedes-Benz. Security guards dashed across the driveway to keep photographers on the sidewalk.
Spears called in sick for a Dec. 12 court-ordered deposition, but was photographed that day driving with a friend. She also didn't show up for a session Wednesday, Kaplan said.
Spears' attorneys from the firm Trope and Trope filed a court motion Wednesday asking to be relieved due to a "breakdown" in communication with their client.
Kaplan said Spears' attorneys were present for what became a very abbreviated session.
"The deposition proceeding did go forward today. It was scheduled for 9:45 to 11:45," Kaplan said. "However, it wasn't able to commence until 11:32." "You can imagine in 14 minutes there's not a lot of time to develop questions," he said.
Kaplan said another deposition will be scheduled.
Spears' representatives didn't speak to reporters outside the office building.
Spears and Federline, 29, have been wrangling over custody of their sons, 2-year-old Sean Preston and 1-year-old Jayden James.
Federline has temporary custody of the children because Spears, who has limited visitation rights, has defied court orders. The two were married in October 2004 and divorced in July.

Spears' lawyers ask to quit custody case

LOS ANGELES - Britney Spears' lawyers in her custody battle with ex-husband Kevin Federline are quitting.
The law firm Trope and Trope asked a court Wednesday to be relieved as Spears' attorneys. The firm says there's been a "breakdown" in communication with the pop princess that makes representing her "impossible," according to the filing, obtained by CelebTV.com.
A message left with a publicist for Spears' record label was not immediately returned.
Spears and Federline have been wrangling for months over custody of their sons, 2-year-old Sean Preston and 1-year-old Jayden James.
Federline has temporary custody because Spears, who has limited visitation rights, has defied court orders. The two were married in October 2004 and finalized their divorce in July.
On a separate legal front, an attorney for Spears wants the city attorney's office to prove that the pop star is a permanent California resident and is subject to state laws that require her to have a valid California driver's license.
Spears faces up to a year of probation if convicted in a misdemeanor case of driving without a valid license, a charge to which she has pleaded not guilty. The case stems from a videotaped fender-bender in a parking lot in August. A hit-and-run charge has been dismissed.
Spears attorney J. Michael Flanagan earlier Wednesday requested that prosecutors be required to demonstrate that Spears, who owns homes in Louisiana and Florida, intends to make Los Angeles her permanent legal home.
"If they can establish that Britney is domiciled here in California, that she permanently intends to stay here, then she does have a requirement to get a license," Flanagan said in an interview. "Basically, it's a fix-it ticket."
Flanagan said Spears had a valid Louisiana license at the time of the incident and got a California license six days after the complaint was filed.
A call seeking comment from the city attorney's office was not immediately returned. The next court date is Jan. 25.