Anna Nicole Smith Lawsuit Alleges Drug Abuse (10/4/06)
The photojournalist claiming to be the father of Anna Nicole Smith's baby daughter alleges in court documents that Smith was taking methadone and is hiding out in the Bahamas to keep her baby from being tested for drugs. Larry Birkhead filed court papers in Los Angeles on Monday, attempting to establish paternity and obtain legal custody of the child. Birkhead began legal proceedings after learning that Smith's close friend and attorney Howard K. Stern, who she wed in a commitment ceremony last Thursday, is also claiming to be the father. The lawsuit alleges Smith was taking methadone, which is normally used to treat heroin addiction, and that Stern has been facilitating her habit. Birkhead also claims Smith is hiding out in the Bahamas to keep her baby from being tested for drugs. He says Stern is claiming to be the baby's father for his own financial gain and that Smith had asked a third unidentified man to say that he was the father of her child - a plan which he says didn't work out because the man had already had a vasectomy. Birkhead requested in his petition that Smith and her daughter undergo drug testing. According to Birkhead's attorney, Debra Opri, "The public will be very surprised when they learn of the details of the lifestyle this baby is going to be faced with if she remains in the current situation." Smith's 20-year-old son Daniel Smith died of a heart attack on September 10 caused by a lethal combination of antidepressants and methadone, three days after Smith gave birth to her daughter.
http://www.imdb.com/news/wenn/2006-10-04#celeb1
Anna Nicole On The Hunt For A Daddy (5/31/02)
Anna Nicole Smith's forthcoming reality TV show will offer viewers the chance to choose the father of her second child. Cameras have already started following the plus-size model in preparation for The Anna Nicole Smith Show on E! network. And she insists the show will feature her hunt for a sperm donor/boyfriend. She says, "I want to have a child so bad. No fathers, it's just going to be one-night stands." And shockingly, in the show, Anna Nicole, who already has a teenage son, admits she and her late 90-something husband J. Howard Marshall did try for a child.
http://www.imdb.com/news/wenn/2002-05-31#celeb5
"Did 'Entertainment Tonight' Pay for Stern Interview?
13 February 2007 (StudioBriefing)
Entertainment Tonight has denied accusations by rival Access Hollywood that it paid $1 million for an exclusive interview with Anna Nicole Smith's lawyer, Howard K. Stern. An ET spokeswoman told the New York Daily News: "These types of accusations are typically made by news organizations that don't have exclusives on major stories." However, the Daily News pointed out that "shows get around the 'We don't pay for interviews' mandate by paying to license images and videos." When asked whether ET had paid for video used in connection with the Stern interview, the ET spokeswoman replied, "Like the Daily News, or any other news media outlet, we compensate rights holders for their photography or video."