Family Law

Judge to Britney: No License, No Kids

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Britney Spears lost custody of her two young sons at least in part because she didn’t have a valid driver’s license.

Because the 25-year-old pop diva didn’t comply with a court order to get a driver’s license by Monday, and allegedly didn’t comply with an earlier court order to take a random drug and alcohol test, temporary custody was given to her ex-husband at a Monday court hearing, according to People.

“L.A. Superior Court Commissioner Scott Gordon didn’t outline his reasons in the written ruling, but Spears’s attorney, Sorrell Trope, says, ‘We weren’t able to prove compliance with what the judge ordered,’ ” the magazine writes.

Spears applied for a driver’s license yesterday, the magazine notes in another article.

A further court hearing is scheduled tomorrow on the child custody issue, and she is to be arraigned Oct. 10 on misdemeanor charges of having left the scene of an accident and driving without a license. Details about the driving incident that led to these charges are provided in an earlier Los Angeles Times article.

Meanwhile, some are questioning whether a father in the same circumstances would have lost custody, reports ABC News. However, the answer to that question may be yes.

“The decision is made in the child’s best interests and if a parent has a history of drug or alcohol abuse this will figure into the award,” lawyer Leonard Garber tells ABC, adding: “I’ve handled cases as far back as 1978 where the father won full custody.”

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