Calling the fees “unnecessary, unauthorized, unreasonable and excessive,” the two filed in a Broward County court to stop Miami lawyer Richard Milstein from collecting.
“It’s outrageous,” said Nancy Hass, Birkhead’s Hallandale Beach-based counsel. “I’m a guardian ad litem, too, and I always reduce my fees when I deal with children. A lot of work produced (by Milstein) was unnecessary.”
Added Stern’s attorney, PBG’s Krista Barth: “That’s $900 an hour! People believe the baby is rich. Couldn’t be further from the truth. Mr. Milstein even charged for another lawyer at his firm to go to Anna’s funeral.”
Back in February, when ANS died of an accidental legal-drug overdose at the Seminole Hard Rock, the Dannielynn Hope Irrevocable Trust was established to pay for ANS’ funeral. The rest was supposed to support the 1-year-old girl as she waits for her mom’s still-tied-up-in-court $500 million inheritance.
The trust’s sources, according to records, were media that paid for “exclusive” interviews and a seat at the funeral.
As of today, according to court papers, $200,000 is left. Milstein wants $175,000 for his guardianship work and another $22,000 for being the fund’s trustee. That role, Barth said, is a conflict of interest.
Goofy Broward Judge Larry Seidlin, who has since quit, asked Milstein to represent Dannielynn’s interests in picking a burial place for her mom. But what should have been a two-hour hearing dragged on, most of it live on national TV.
The usually talkative Milstein didn’t return calls but e-mailed: “The three weeks of work entailed the work of five people, not just myself, in order to handle the multiple details involved in handling the trial and funeral arrangements.”
http://www.palmbeachpost.com/localnews/content/local_news/epaper/2007/10/14/a2a_jose_col_1014.html
Thanks SUN,
That article had one more paragraph at the bottom after totally unrelated article ..
Said Milstein’s boss, Robert Zinn, president of Akerman Senterfitt: “We believe there is no basis whatsoever for the objections to our invoices, given the complexity of the issues, the large number of interested parties and the extremely short time.”
I wonder if Shane’s bill was paid by Milstein? I’m assuming that Chris Carver’s bill was paid by Milstein and could be ‘expensed’. (Also, Seidlin ordered Perper to accompany the body - don’t know if that would be covered under anything other than the State).
Milstein was appointed ‘GAL’ - but there was actually a second attorney, Shane Kelley, that was appointed by Seidlin to make the actual decision on where to bury ANS
“He appointed a Fort Lauderdale attorney not involved in the case to assist him.
“I want you to give me a road map of where I go here,” Seidlin said to Shane Kelley via speakerphone. “I’m between the Bahamas and Texas.”
As administrator ad-litem, Kelley will research the case and hear the attorneys’ positions before giving Seidlin his recommendation Tuesday morning.
Despite objections by Stern’s and Arthur’s attorneys, Seidlin on Thursday also appointed a Miami attorney, Richard Milstein, as guardian ad-litem for Smith’s daughter.”
http://www.sun-sentinel.com/news/local/southflorida/sfl-215annanicole,0,2411434.story?coll=sfla-home-headlines
Milstein’s attorney:
“Christopher Carver, an attorney for Milstein, told the judges during Wednesday’s hearing that a Bahamas funeral for Smith is scheduled for 10:30 a.m. Friday.
http://www.cnn.com/2007/LAW/02/28/smith.case/index.html
and then, we have this older trivia:
“Right now, I don’t have a client,” Kent Richland, Smith’s appellate lawyer, told TIME. It was Richland who gave new life to Anna Nicole’s quest for her late billionaire husband’s fortune with a victory before the U.S. Supreme Court. So far, not one of the known potential guardians has contacted him.
http://www.time.com/time/arts/article/0,8599,1591324,00.html
Ohh .now it’s a conflict of interest when he wants to get paid. It wasn’t a conflict when they were using it to “bribe” him to ok a televised circus of a funeral.