Custody of Dannielynn Hope

Child custody can be a legal nightmare for anyone, but when you are the infant child of former Playboy Playmate, Anna Nicole Smith, then things can be very complicated. This is the time when the loved ones of Anna Nicole Smith should be mourning her unexpected death.  Instead, they are worried about the custody of her infant daughter Dannielynn Hope.

USA Today's February 9, 2007 addition raises some important questions regarding Anna Nicole Smith what was to follow from her unforeseen death.  Aside from wondering what really happened, the main question to answer is: "what happens to her daughter?"

The complicated, legal questions arising from Smith's life included:

• Did she have a will?  If so, does it explain who gets custody of Dannielynn?
• Was she legally married to her lawyer, Howard K. Stern?
• Who is the biological father of Dannielynn?  Is it Stern or her ex-boyfriend Larry Birkhead?
• Will the DNA of the biological father be the deciding factor, regardless of what it says in the will?

It did not take long after Anna Nicole's death for the questions of child custody to come up.  Just hours after the notification of Smith's death, the lawyers for Larry Birkhead, who states that he is the infant's father, filed for an emergency child custody hearing.  Howard K. Stern, Smith's companion, also states that he is, in fact, the infant's daughter.

Smith had been ordered a day before her death to submit DNA for a paternity test by February 21st.  Unfortunately, because Anna Nicole Smith had been resisting a DNA test, a question of ethics also arises: "will DNA testing be ordered now that she is dead?" Only time will tell what will happen to Dannielynn.  According to USA Today, regarding the child custody case of Dannielynn, “Los Angeles lawyers expect to have some concrete decisions about the destiny of Smith's 5-month-old daughter.”

Are you or someone you know going through a difficult child custody battle?  If so, contact one of our child custody attorneys in your area today!