Britney Spears Investigated For Child Abuse

While reports that the SPCA has dropped their investigation into her injured terrier pup should come as good news to Britney Spears, possible allegations of child abuse have put the troubled pop star’s celebrations on hold.

The most recent development in the Spears - Federline custody battle took an unexpected turn today (August 27), as an unscheduled hearing at Los Angeles County Superior Court was held to look into the child abuse allegations.

Access Hollywood reports that lawyers for both Britney and Kevin attended the hearing in dependency court, which handles child abuse claims, among other things. Britney, however, did not make an appearance, as could be expected.

“If the county feels the kids are at risk, they will begin an investigation. If they find either or both parents aren’t capable or unwilling to parent the children, the county will file a petition in juvenile court,” LA criminal defense attorney Steve Cron told Access Hollywood.

“If that happens, Britney and Kevin would be allowed a ‘full blown’ hearing where they can bring witnesses and experts to testify on their behalf. The judge would then decide if the county needs to step in, possibly taking over custody of the kids,” Cron added.

All of the details from the hearing are confidential and no comment has been made by Britney’s camp at this time. Be sure to check back with the Gossip Girls for continuing coverage on the latest Britney Spears custody battle developments.

Update: TMZ sources say “the complaint lodged with DCFS involves allegations of poor dental hygiene, as well as poor eating and sleeping habits for her kids.” There is also some belief that Federline was responsible for filing the complaint. Stay tuned for more.