Larry Birkhead Responds To Debra Opri Lawsuit

Debra Opri is suing Larry Birkhead over money he allegedly owes the attorney for her work in proving he was the father of Anna Nicole Smith’s daughter Dannielynn.

Opri filed her suit on Tuesday in Los Angeles Superior Court. And while the court papers don’t indicate the specific amount Opri claims Birkhead owes her, it was reported Birkhead owed Opri more than $600,000 for her
services in the paternity case.

According to the lawsuit, Birkhead has ignored the demands of Opri and her attorney David B. Owen to settle up on the terms of their contract, which was agreed to when she agreed to represent him last September.

In response, Birkhead issued the following statement to Access Hollywood:

“Despite their filings, both Ms. Opri and her attorney received notification making them aware that I would be out of the state of California taking care of my daughter until the conclusion of an upcoming June custody hearing in the Bahamas. Although at this time, the public is not aware of the unbelievable circumstances which led to me firing Ms. Opri, the only question at the end of the day is, how much money will Debra Opri be paying me? Thanks to the efforts of my Bahamas attorney, Emerick Knowles, I am fortunate enough now to be spending time with my daughter, Dannielynn.”

Opri accompanied Birkhead to the Bahamas in February to challenge Howard K. Stern over custody of Anna Nicole’s remains, with both men eventually agreeing Smith would be buried in the islands next to her 20-year-old son, Daniel, who died last year of a drug overdose shortly after Dannielynn was born.

On April 10, the results of the paternity testing, taken in the Bahamas, showed Birkhead was the father.

However on March 16, Opri announced she and Birkhead were going their separate ways.

“Larry Birkhead and I have terminated our attorney-client relationship effective immediately. I wish Larry the very best of luck in his continuing efforts to prove that he is Dannielynn’s biological father. My prayers will be with Larry and Dannielynn always,” Opri said in a press release issued at the time.

Despite the public statements by both sides, Opri reportedly remained Birkhead’s lawyer until last month because he did not sign the form releasing her, she said. Birkhead never put his name on the release form, but he did not appear in court to contest Opri’s April 23 motion
to withdraw, so a Los Angeles Superior Court judge approved it that day.

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