Spears loses custody of young sons

LOS ANGELES — Britney Spears lost custody of her two sons Friday to former husband Kevin Federline.

A court commissioner gave sole physical and legal custody of the boys to Federline and suspended the troubled pop star's visitation rights.

Spears, 26, was hauled away from her home to a hospital by paramedics the night before, after police had to intervene when she refused to return the children to Federline after a court-monitored visit.

Commissioner Scott Gordon ordered another hearing to be held Jan. 14.

Federline had previously been awarded temporary custody of Sean Preston, 2, and Jayden James, 1, because Spears has defied court orders, resulting in limitations on her visitation.

"I'm not happy about any of these events," Federline attorney Mark Vincent Kaplan said when he left a closed-door emergency hearing Friday afternoon. "There's no winners here."

Spears remained hospitalized Friday.

Her latest troubles began about 8 p.m. Thursday when officers were called to her home to help resolve a dispute over her refusal to turn the children over to Federline, as dictated by their custody agreement.

It took two to three hours to resolve the conflict, said Los Angeles Police Officer Ana Aguirre.

"Police resolved the conflict," Aguirre said. "Both children were turned over to her ex-husband Kevin Federline for custody, and she was in fact taken to a local hospital for medical treatment."

Early police reports said officers thought Spears might have been under the influence of some substance, but Aguirre said there was no evidence of that. "Our understanding is that was not the case," she said.

Officers at the scene determined paramedics "needed to be called" but it was unclear why, she said.

Kaplan said he went to Cedars-Sinai Medical Center after Spears was admitted, but he declined to provide details about the pop star, her ex-husband or their sons.

Spears' mother, Lynne Spears, also would not disclose any information about her daughter's condition. "Just say prayers," she told "Access Hollywood" by phone Friday.

Hospital spokeswoman Simi Singer wouldn't confirm reports that Spears would be held for 72 hours for psychological evaluation. The reports didn't identify their sources.

Spears and Federline were married in October 2004. Her life has spiraled downward since their July divorce, and she has spent time in rehab.