Bahamas Court Orders Paternity Test For Anna Nicole's Baby
POSTED: 8:32 pm EDT March 20,
2007
UPDATED: 5:05 am EDT March 21,
2007
NASSAU, Bahamas -- A Bahamian judge ordered a DNA test Tuesday on Anna Nicole Smith's infant daughter to identify the girl's father, an attorney for the baby's grandmother said, in what could signal an end to a bitter custody feud sparked by the death of the former reality TV star last month.Larry Birkhead, an ex-boyfriend of the Playboy Playmate who asked the judge to order the test on 6-month-old Dannielynn, pumped his fists in the air and jumped up and down as he emerged from the private court hearing."It's been a good day in court for me," he told reporters.
Asked if he thought he would be see the girl soon, he only smiled and winked.Deborah Rose, an attorney for Smith's mother Virgie Arthur, confirmed that the judge ordered the test but she and others who attended the hearing declined to describe the proceedings.Authorities left the building after the hearing and could not immediately be reached for comment.Smith's most recent companion Howard K. Stern, who is listed as the father on the girl's birth certificate, left the courthouse in a black sport utility vehicle as Birkhead greeted a crowd of cheering tourists.Smith, 39, died Feb. 8 after collapsing in a Florida hotel.Authorities have not disclosed the cause.Stern has been caring for the girl in the gated, waterfront home where he lived with Smith in the months before she died. The Bahamian courts have ordered Stern not to leave the country with the girl before a custody ruling.Arthur wants to take Dannielynn from Stern, arguing she could provide a more stable home. She did not speak as she exited the courthouse and left in a white limousine.The girl, Dannielynn Hope Marshall Stern, could inherit millions from the estate of Smith's late husband, Texas oil tycoon J. Howard Marshall II. Smith had been fighting his family over his estimated $500 million fortune since his death in 1995.Frederic von Anhalt, the husband of Zsa Zsa Gabor, also says he may be Dannielynn's father. Last month, he also filed legal documents seeking a DNA test to determine if he is the father.
Previous Stories:
- March 19, 2007: Judge Involved In Anna Nicole Smith Case Cited On Marijuana Charge
- March 16, 2007: Birkhead Splits With Attorney In Smith Custody Case
- March 15, 2007: Seminole, Bahamian Authorities Meet To Discuss Anna Nicole
- March 13, 2007: Birkhead's Lawyer Tells Howard K. Stern To 'Put Up Or Shut Up'
- March 8, 2007: Release Of Anna Nicole Autopsy Results Delayed
- March 2, 2007: Hundreds Gather For Anna Nicole's Funeral
- March 2, 2007: The Week In Pictures
- February 28, 2007: Appeals Court Upholds Decision On Bahamas Burial
- February 27, 2007: Fight Over Smith's Body Moves To Appeals Court
- February 27, 2007: Appeals Court Issues Stay, Smith's Body Can't Be Moved
- February 23, 2007: Judge Questions Jurisdiction In Smith Paternity Case
- February 22, 2007: Attorney: Anna Nicole Will Be Buried In Bahamas
- February 22, 2007: Judge Speculates About Anna Nicole's Drug Problems
- February 22, 2007: Major Players Testify In Anna Nicole Hearing
- February 21, 2007: Emotions Run High As Anna Nicole's Mother Testifies
- February 21, 2007: Smith's Burial Takes On Urgency As Body Decomposes
- February 21, 2007: Stern Says Smith Wanted To Be Buried In Bahamas
- February 19, 2007: Smith Joins Ranks Of Playmates Dying Young
- February 9, 2007: In Death, Smith Achieved Attention She Always Craved
- February 8, 2007: Anna Nicole Smith Dies At S. Fla. Hospital
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