Court orders Britney Spears to take random drug, alcohol tests

Pop icon Britney Spears is in trouble again. A court commissioner has ordered Britney Spears, 25, to undergo random drug and alcohol testing twice a week as part of a child-custody dispute with ex-husband Kevin Federline.

The ruling could not have come at a worse time professionally for Britney Spears, who is trying to recover from a series of image-crippling events – including a bizarre head-shaving incident in February 2007 (captured by paparazzi photographers) to her ridiculous performance earlier in September 2007 at MTV’s Video Music Awards in Las Vegas.

Now, a judge has asked her to clean up her act, which he said includes evidence of “habitual, frequent and continuous use of controlled substances and alcohol.”

The big question is: Is the court order strong enough to keep Britney Spears from losing custody of her two sons, Sean Preston, 2, and Jayden James, 1, to Kevin Federline?

Superior Court Commissioner Scott Gordon ordered both Britney Spears and Kevin Federline to refrain from drinking or using drugs either in the presence of their children or within 12 hours before taking charge of them.

The court also ordered both “to engage in joint co-parenting counseling,” splitting the cost between them. If they cannot agree on a therapist for this,
the court would assign them one.

The judge also ordered Britney Spears, but not Federline, to undergo random drug and alcohol testing twice a week, according to court documents.

However, the court order did not require Britney Spears to undergo rehabilitation and substance-abuse counseling, possibly indicating that her problem is not severe enough to affect her parenting skills.

Britney Spears’ lawyer Laura Wasser had quit on September 17, 2007, with reports suggesting the attorney found Britney a “problem client.”

Melvin Goldsman was named as Laura Wasser’s replacement a day after, but Britney Spears is considering firing him, People.com quoted high-profile
divorce lawyer Sorrell Trope as saying. Trope claims that he has been chosen as Goldsman’s replacement.

Mark Vincent Kaplan, Kevin Federline's attorney, told People.com that Federline is “happy” with judge Scott Gordon’s decision to order Britney to
undergo twice-weekly random drugs testing. “Kevin is happy that the case is moving forward in a positive direction,” added Kaplan.

Meanwhile, a website has reported that Britney Spears partied hours after the judge ordered her to curb her wild ways or face losing her children.

The website quoted onlookers, who said they sighted Britney at two Hollywood nightclubs, a day after the court order, where she was described as “off her head.”