(CBS/AP) Celebrity-attorney Debra Opri announced Friday that she is no longer representing Larry Birkhead, the photographer who says he's the father of Anna Nicole Smith's baby.
"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," a statement said.
The Web site TMZ reported Friday that it was Birkhead who terminated the relationship and that they had been butting heads over various issues for weeks.
The announcement comes as another court hearing was scheduled to take place Friday in the continuing saga over the late star-crossed celebrity.
It's in the Bahamas' Supreme Court and it's a tussle over who gets custody of Smith's baby daughter, Dannielynn.
Several people claim to be the father. Lawyers for Birkhead are asking for a DNA test. Birkhead, who says he's been putting a nursery together in California, plans to be in court.
Smith's companion, Howard K. Stern, isn't expected to be in court Friday. Listed as the father on the baby's birth certificate, Stern remains in seclusion with the baby at Smith's seaside villa in the Bahamas.