Britney Spears' Lawyers Fear She's 'in denial' in Child Custody Battle

Britney Spears' lawyers are pleading with her to seek help from a psychiatrist over worries that she is "in denial" in the custody fight for her kids.

The attorneys fear that the troubled pop star is not realizing the fact that she could lose Sean Preston, two, and Jayden James, one, in her battle with ex Kevin Federline, who has temporary custody presently.

Testimony Concludes in Slain Dentist Child Custody Hearing

In gripping testimony Thursday afternoon, Gavril Malakov, brother of murdered dentist Daniel Malakov, told the judge that his family was threatened by the elderly mother of Daniel's ex-wife, Mazoltuv Borakhova.

"She was telling me, 'You will pay for this! You will all pay for this!'" Malakov told the court. "She screamed out to my dad, 'Your kids will die. You will bury your kids!'"

The outburst allegedly occurred during the chaotic custody transfer that took place six days before Daniel Malakov was gunned down at a playground in Forest Hills. At the time, Mazoltuv Borakhova was forced to turn her child over to the Malkovs under a court order that gave him custody of daughter Michelle.

Mom Represents Self in Custody Case

If there's one thing Sylvie van Hoek has learned the past seven months, it's that real life's trials aren't exactly like "Law & Order."

"It's not like TV. You don't get to object to everything," van Hoek said. The 45-year-old suburban single mother, part-time grad student and catechism teacher is representing herself in a bitter legal battle with her ex-husband, who does have a lawyer. At stake is custody of their 9-year-old son.

Spears Giggles, Curses at Hearing in Child Custody Battle

Britney Spears arrived in court giggling on Friday but was later heard swearing during a break in a closed hearing that ended with no decision on her bid for shared custody of her two young sons with Kevin Federline. The court was expected to issue a written ruling by Tuesday after extensive testimony was presented on a number of issues, lawyer Mark Vincent Kaplan said.

Spears did not comment after the hearing. Earlier, she uttered an epithet when a reporter asked how the proceedings were going.

Digging Into Kids' Alienation

I have written frequently about parental alienation syndrome, a term used primarily in child-custody cases. Parental alienation syndrome (PAS) happens when one parent alienates or brainwashes a child against the other parent.

Therapists realize PAS may be present when the child has no ambivalence, no discomfort at all vilifying or demonizing the parent he or she has been taught to hate. The child will say things like, "My parent is always selfish, only cares about themselves, never even tries to be fair to the 'good' parent."

Child Custody Caution

Why? That's the main question state Child Protective Services officials must answer in probing the death of a 9-year-old Montcalm County boy, who was left in the care of an admitted child abuser.

Why was the child left with a father who recently admitted abusing his two older sons and was facing jail time for that crime? Why was he left in the home over objections from the local prosecutor's office and seeming common sense?

Man Charged, Allegedly Took Girl to Arizona

Sauk County authorities filed charges against a Wisconsin Dells man after police say he took a 13-year-old girl to Arizona.

On Wednesday, the Sauk County district attorney filed a complaint in Sauk County Circuit Court charging Christian Miranda Alcantara, 19, with a count of interfering with child custody.

Diffusing Explosive Family Court Battles

In the emotionally charged aftermath of divorce or separation, parents sometimes find themselves locked in battle over the stupidest things.

“My son wanted to go to skateboarding camp,” said Jill, a divorced mom of two from Bristol. “It was on the same week he was supposed to go with his father to my former in-laws' place upstate for a family reunion. By the time we got done fighting over it, he missed the camp and the picnic.”

US Wants India to Sign Treaty on Child Abduction

The United States wants India to sign a multilateral treaty on child abduction that will help tackle cases where parents' non-compatibility leads to child trauma and forcible separation from one of his or her parent - at times across continents.

The Americans are insisting on India signing the treaty as it states that in case of a child custody dispute, the case should be heard in a court with jurisdiction over the habitual residence of child. This, in most of the 45 cases - which involve a total of 55 children - cited by American officials, would mean a court in the US.

New Office to Aid Oglala in Child-Custody Proceedings

A new Oglala Sioux Tribe office in Rapid City has a simple goal: Keeping Native American children with relatives or native foster parents. "The whole idea is to try to keep them with family," said Juanita Scherick, director of the tribe's ONTRAC, or Oglala Nation Tiospaye Resource and Advocacy Center, program. "I think that's what we all want."

Child Custody Cases & What to Expect

As divorce rates continue to rise, more and more children are growing up in a single parent household. Despite the fact that a divorce legally separates the parents from one another, it is important that both remain active in their child's life. Because the welfare of a child becomes the focal point of all child custody cases, it is essential that you hire a qualified divorce attorney who specializes in this area and will work hard to see that the child's best interests are met.

Britney Spears And Parenting: A Timeline Of Tumult

It's been motherhood under a microscope for Britney Spears, who lost custody of her two children — at least temporarily — on Monday (October 1) when a judge ordered the singer to turn over her children to ex-husband Kevin Federline until further notice, effective Wednesday.

From day one, Spears has faced scorn and scrutiny for her choice of a husband — but strangely, Federline's image has now improved relative to hers. Even if Britney hasn't cracked under the pressure, the judge in her custody case isn't taking any chances when it comes to her young brood, 2-year-old Sean Preston and 1-year-old Jayden James. The couple's theme song used to be "Chaotic," and maybe that's part of the problem.

Family Fights Over Missing Boaters' Kids

Amid the agony of coping with two relatives missing from an abandoned boat in the Atlantic, the family of Capt. Jake Branam and his wife, Kelley, are now at odds over custody of the couple's two young children.

The dispute pits several Branam family members against the Miami Beach family's former patriarch -- Joseph Harry Branam, 76 -- who has refused to share care of the couple's 2-year-old daughter and 4-month-old son, according to Miami-Dade court papers filed Thursday and Friday.

Nanny-gate: The Plot Thickens

Speaking of people who really need a hobby - boy, are the gloves off in the Charlie Sheen-Denise Richards smackdown!

The latest salvo in the child custody tussle, according to People magazine: Sheen reveals that the FBI was "aware of" Richards' accusations that he scanned child porn (this is good news in Sheenville?).

"The FBI was aware of these issues. I provided them with every computer I owned," he says. "The computers were returned two weeks later. Haven't heard from them since. Period. The end."

Spears' Lawyer Seeks to Permanently Seal Documents in Child Custody Battle

A lawyer for Britney Spears isn't interested in the media getting a look at the court papers involving the singer's custody battle with ex-husband Kevin Federline.

The attorney has filed a motion asking California court commissioner to make permanent a conditional order to seal all documents dealing with custody. It was filed in response to a motion by People magazine and a TV station seeking to unseal some of the papers.

A Place to Hand Off Kids for Visits

The Episcopal Church of the Holy Trinity in West Chester this weekend will become a place where a parent who has weekday custody of a child can safely hand over that child for a weekend visit with the other parent.

Judge Katherine B.L. Platt of Chester County Family Court said she arranged the site for "parents who are separated, divorced or never married, parents who are not living together any longer, but have children together."

Platt said in an interview that most such parents "are able to exchange their children in perfect peace and harmony.

Pair Seeks Return of Seven Kids

The parents of seven young children who were removed from a rat-infested home in July - which has since been condemned by the city of Lubbock - have embarked on a path to regain custody of their children for the second time.

The children of Anthony Moya, 40, and Gloria Ramirez, 26, were removed from the couple's crumbling home on 2014 Ave. L at the behest of the Texas Department of Family and Protective Services.

Mother, Grandmother Sentenced in Child Custody Kidnap Case

The mother of a 17-month-old child and the child’s grandmother were sentenced Monday after being convicted of kidnapping the toddler last February from a Broad Top township residence.

Sarah Marie Guinn, 19, of Frostburg, was sentenced by Judge Daniel Howsare to serve three months to 23 1/2 months in the Bedford County Jail in addition to one year of probation. She also was ordered to pay $650 in fines and court costs.

Witness Contradicts Testimony Over Letters in International Custody Dispute Over Cuban Girl

A custody hearing over a 4-year-old Cuban girl in the U.S. focused Friday on whether letters purportedly written to her by her father from the communist country had been faked.

A relative of the girl took the stand and denied claims made Thursday by the child's mother, Elena Perez, that Perez had agreed on one occasion with the father's attorneys to fake loving letters to the child when she was living in Texas.

Larsen: Real-life P.I. work not made for TV

Dan Larsen thwarted a pedophile.

It's one of the private investigator's most satisfying cases.

Larsen, a former undercover officer with the Council Bluffs Police Department, took his skills to the private sector in 1987 and opened his own investigation firm, Evidence, Inc., two years later. Most of his work involves child custody cases, where he and his partner Cindy Sorensen search for evidence of parental incompetence.