NASSAU – The custody dispute over Anna Nicole Smith’s baby enters its next round on Friday when a judge plans to discuss who will raise the infant after DNA tests showed Larry Birkhead is her biological father.
Howard K Stern, who has been caring for baby Dannielynn since Smith’s sudden death in February, said on Tuesday he would not fight for custody, but a lawyer for Smith’s mother, Virgie Arthur, indicated she might. Stern said he loved the baby, despite the DNA results, and would support Birkhead.”I’m obviously very disappointed, but my feelings for Dannielynn have not changed,” he said, adding of Birkhead: “I’m going to do whatever I can to make sure he gets sole custody.”Birkhead, who broke up with Smith before she moved to the Bahamas in July, had been seeking custody of the girl for months.Stern was listed on the birth certificate as Dannielynn’s father and has been taking care of the child at the gated, oceanfront mansion he and Smith shared in the Bahamas.”I told you so!” Birkhead said on Tuesday, announcing the DNA test results upon emerging from a closed court hearing.”My baby’s going to be coming home pretty soon.”The court’s DNA expert, Dr Michael Baird, confirmed it.Just 7 months old, Dannielynn Hope Marshall Stern stands to inherit a fortune if the legal battles her mother left her ever get resolved.The baby could potentially inherit millions from the estate of Smith’s late husband, J.Howard Marshall II.The former model had been fighting the Texas oil tycoon’s family over his estimated US$500 million fortune since his death in 1995, and that battle remains unresolved.It remains unclear how much, if any, of the Marshall estate Dannielynn could ever hope to obtain, and whether her guardian would have any access to the money.Even Smith’s own estate remains unresolved.A 2001 will released after her death in February said her fortune should be held in trust for her son, but he is dead now.The 19-page will named Stern as her executor, but did not say how much Smith was worth or how much her daughter might inherit.Nassau has been transfixed by the Anna Nicole saga since she moved here last year.Smith gave birth to Dannielynn in September, only to see her 20-year-old son Daniel die days later at her bedside from a lethal combination of drugs.Smith died on February 8, at the age of 39, also from a deadly mix of prescription drugs.Smith’s mother said on Tuesday that she wanted to be present in her granddaughter’s life, but seemed appeased by the DNA results.Nampa-APStern said he loved the baby, despite the DNA results, and would support Birkhead.”I’m obviously very disappointed, but my feelings for Dannielynn have not changed,” he said, adding of Birkhead: “I’m going to do whatever I can to make sure he gets sole custody.”Birkhead, who broke up with Smith before she moved to the Bahamas in July, had been seeking custody of the girl for months.Stern was listed on the birth certificate as Dannielynn’s father and has been taking care of the child at the gated, oceanfront mansion he and Smith shared in the Bahamas.”I told you so!” Birkhead said on Tuesday, announcing the DNA test results upon emerging from a closed court hearing.”My baby’s going to be coming home pretty soon.”The court’s DNA expert, Dr Michael Baird, confirmed it.Just 7 months old, Dannielynn Hope Marshall Stern stands to inherit a fortune if the legal battles her mother left her ever get resolved.The baby could potentially inherit millions from the estate of Smith’s late husband, J.Howard Marshall II.The former model had been fighting the Texas oil tycoon’s family over his estimated US$500 million fortune since his death in 1995, and that battle remains unresolved.It remains unclear how much, if any, of the Marshall estate Dannielynn could ever hope to obtain, and whether her guardian would have any access to the money.Even Smith’s own estate remains unresolved.A 2001 will released after her death in February said her fortune should be held in trust for her son, but he is dead now.The 19-page will named Stern as her executor, but did not say how much Smith was worth or how much her daughter might inherit.Nassau has been transfixed by the Anna Nicole saga since she moved here last year.Smith gave birth to Dannielynn in September, only to see her 20-year-old son Daniel die days later at her bedside from a lethal combination of drugs.Smith died on February 8, at the age of 39, also from a deadly mix of prescription drugs.Smith’s mother said on Tuesday that she wanted to be present in her granddaughter’s life, but seemed appeased by the DNA results.Nampa-AP
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