Kevin Federline, 30, former husband of pop star Britney Spears, 26, plans to fight for exclusive custody of their two sons, his lawyer told the internet news service E! ( dpa ).
The bitter struggle over Jayden James, 1, and Sean Preston, 2, was slated for its next court date on August 25, unless a settlement is reached out of court.
Spears, 26, lost visitation rights to the two children last year during a bout of erratic behaviour that followed her divorce from Federline.
On Tuesday, she won back the right to see them twice every week with an overnight stay on the weekend, under an agreement by the family court judge Commissioner Scott Gordon.
Spears appears to have calmed down following her forced stay in a mental health facility and the appointment of her father as her conservator over the past year.
A mediation attempt over custody rights on Thursday failed to produce agreement, Federline's lawyer Mark Vincent Kaplan told E!Online. But he said Federline was open to the idea that Spears should play an important role in the lives of their sons.
The courts are expected to decide by late July whether the singer can take care of her legal affairs again or must continue to be monitored by her father.