Usher appeared in court on Tuesday (01May12) to battle for custody of his children and was ordered to work out a temporary agreement in private with his ex-wife.

The singer and his former partner, Tameka Raymond, both attended a hearing at Fulton County Court in Atlanta, Georgia as part of their ongoing custody dispute over their sons, Usher, four, and Naviyd, three.

Raymond filed papers late last year (11) asking for Usher to be stripped of joint physical custody of the children, and she also demanded the star increase his child support payments.

The judge overseeing the case ordered the warring pair to work out a temporary custody agreement in private mediation and they will be back in court on Wednesday (02May12). If they fail to come to an agreement, the judge will impose a temporary order deciding how they should split their time with their children, according to TMZ.com.

Usher filed for divorce in 2009 after two years of marriage.