LOS ANGELES (AFP) — Pop princess Britney Spears lost custody of her children because she did not submit to a drug test or have a valid California driver's license, as demanded by a judge, her lawyer said Tuesday.
Monday a judge ruled after a closed-door hearing to hand custody to her ex-husband, aspiring rapper Kevin Federline.
The divorce between Spears, 25, and Federline, 29, became final at the end of July, but their temporary shared custody arrangement for their sons unraveled amid allegations from Federline's camp that Spears was an unfit mother.
Celebrity websites TMZ and X17 said Spears took her sons to the drive-through window of a fast food restaurant before handing them over to Federline's bodyguards shortly after noon on Monday.
Spears lawyer Sorrell Trope told People magazine Tuesday that "We weren't able to prove compliance with what the judge ordered."
"Specifically, the judge ordered that by 10:00 am (Monday) morning, both parties show valid California driving licenses. I've been unable to produce evidence of that."
Trope says another reason behind the judge's temporary custody ruling "was a claim by Mr. Federline's attorney that she had not complied with a previous order the court had made -- before I came on board (as lawyer) -- about having a random drug and alcohol test."
"There's no evidence that she actually failed a test," he told the magazine.
Judge Scott Gordon on September 18 ordered Spears to undergo random drug testing in the latest twist in the bitter custody battle over Sean Preston, 2, and Jayden James, 1.
Gordon said at the time that according to evidence presented in closed door hearings, Spears was a "habitual, frequent, and continuous" user of "controlled substances and alcohol," court documents showed.
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