'I will not share custody of baby': Birkhead
A former boyfriend of Anna Nicole Smith said he does not intend to share custody of their baby daughter, but hopes he can avoid a major court battle over the issue.
Larry Birkhead, speaking a day after a Bahamas court announced that DNA tests proved he was the father of the late US model’s child, said he does not want to go from one legal fight to another.
“I’m hoping that’s not the case because, you know, there’s only one dad, and I have no problem with anyone that has good intentions being allowed to visit the baby and see the baby and be a part of the baby’s life,” the 34-year-old said.
However, Birkhead said he has no intentions of sharing custody of seven-month-old Dannielynn.
“It would imply that I’m unfit as a parent, which I’m not,” the Los Angeles photographer said. “I’m looking forward to giving Dannielynn everything that she needs and all the love and support.”
A hearing is scheduled tomorrow during which a judge is expected to discuss who will raise the baby.
Smith’s lawyer-turned-partner Howard Stern, who has been caring for the baby since Smith’s sudden death in February, said he would not fight for custody. But a lawyer for Smith’s mother, Virgie Arthur, indicated she might.
Lawyer Wayne Munroe, who is handling Smith’s estate, said yesterday he will support giving full custody to Birkhead.
He said Stern, who is executor of Smith’s will, instructed him to resist any custody claim made by Smith’s mother, Virgie Arthur, who was estranged from her daughter at the time the reality TV star collapsed and died in February in Florida.
The new legal strategy makes allies of Birkhead and Stern, who feuded over paternity until the DNA announcement.
Birkhead visited Dannielynn several hours after the announcement of the DNA test results on Tuesday, feeding her apple sauce with some coaching from Stern, it was reported.
The two men have discussed a possible transition period during which each would spend time with the baby, according to Stern’s lawyers.
Separately, a judge held a status hearing in the inquest into the death of Smith’s 20-year-old son, Daniel, but adjourned the session without taking any action.
Another hearing was scheduled for Tuesday in the Bahamian Coroner’s Court. The inquest has been stalled by an appeal from Stern to submit a questionnaire to potential jurors.
Dannielynn Hope Marshall Stern was born in Nassau on September 7, only three days before Daniel died at his mother’s hospital bedside from a lethal combination of drugs.
Smith died in Florida on February 8, at the age of 39, also from a deadly mix of prescription drugs.
The baby could potentially inherit millions from the estate of Smith’s late husband, Howard Marshall.
The former model had been fighting the Texas oil tycoon’s family over his estimated $500m (€371m) fortune since his death in 1995, and that battle remains unresolved.
It remains unclear how much, if any, of the Marshall estate Dannielynn could obtain and whether her guardian would have any access to the money.
