# Dannielynn Birkhead paternity case
The Dannielynn Birkhead paternity case was a 2006–2007 legal dispute over the biological father of Dannielynn Hope, the daughter born to model and television personality [Anna Nicole Smith](https://www.edgepedia.org/anna-nicole-smith) (Vickie Lynn Marshall) in the Bahamas in 2006. Smith's lawyer and companion [Howard K. Stern](https://www.edgepedia.org/howard-k-stern) and her former boyfriend, photographer Larry Birkhead, each claimed to be the father, and a third man, Frederic von Anhalt, also asserted a possible claim. DNA testing ordered by a Bahamian court confirmed in April 2007 that Birkhead was the biological father, and he subsequently gained custody and raised Dannielynn largely out of the public eye in Kentucky.
| Key fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Child | Dannielynn Hope, born 2006 in the Bahamas[1](https://www.cbsnews.com/news/timeline-anna-nicole-smith-28-02-2007/) |
| Competing claims | Howard K. Stern claimed paternity on September 26, 2006; Larry Birkhead claimed paternity the following day[1](https://www.cbsnews.com/news/timeline-anna-nicole-smith-28-02-2007/) |
| Third claim | Frederic von Anhalt, husband of Zsa Zsa Gabor, said he might be the father and filed court papers in the paternity suit in February 2007[2](https://www.pewresearch.org/journalism/2007/04/04/timeline-of-anna-nicole-smith-death-and-subsequent-events/) |
| DNA testing | A test conducted March 21, 2007, by DNA Diagnostics Center confirmed Birkhead as the biological father; results were announced in a Bahamian court on April 10, 2007[3](https://www.newjerseyfamilylawblog.com/paternity_of_dannielynn_offici/) • [4](https://dnacenter.com/blog/ddc-scientist-announces-dna-test-results-anna-nicole-smiths-baby/) • [1](https://www.cbsnews.com/news/timeline-anna-nicole-smith-28-02-2007/) |
| Outcome | Birkhead gained custody; Stern said after the hearing that he would not fight Birkhead for custody[1](https://www.cbsnews.com/news/timeline-anna-nicole-smith-28-02-2007/) |
| Inheritance | In March 2008 a Los Angeles judge made Dannielynn the sole heir of Smith's estate and set up a trust in her name[1](https://www.cbsnews.com/news/timeline-anna-nicole-smith-28-02-2007/) |
## Background
Anna Nicole Smith announced in a video clip posted on her official website on June 1, 2006, that she was pregnant. She gave birth to a daughter, later named Dannielynn Hope, in the Bahamas on September 7, 2006[1](https://www.cbsnews.com/news/timeline-anna-nicole-smith-28-02-2007/). Three days after the birth, in 2006, Smith's 20-year-old son Daniel died in her hospital room in the Bahamas[1](https://www.cbsnews.com/news/timeline-anna-nicole-smith-28-02-2007/).
The paternity question arose almost immediately. On September 26, 2006, Stern, Smith's attorney, claimed he was the father of Dannielynn; the following day Birkhead, a photographer and Smith's ex-boyfriend, said he was the real father, and lawsuits followed. On September 28, 2006, Smith and Stern exchanged vows in a commitment ceremony in the Bahamas[1](https://www.cbsnews.com/news/timeline-anna-nicole-smith-28-02-2007/). Birkhead had earlier sued Smith seeking a paternity test of the baby[5](https://www.cbsnews.com/news/larry-birkhead-sued-by-his-ex-attorney/).
## Court proceedings
The dispute ran through courts in several jurisdictions. In December 2006, the Los Angeles Superior Court ruled that Smith must bring Dannielynn to California for a paternity test; the ruling was temporarily blocked and the question remained pending[1](https://www.cbsnews.com/news/timeline-anna-nicole-smith-28-02-2007/). Birkhead's attorney Debra Opri said Birkhead needed a paternity ruling from California to present in the Bahamas to strengthen his case there[6](https://www.cbsnews.com/news/anna-nicole-paternity-battle-continues/).
The federal litigation over Smith's estate, *In re: Vickie Lynn Marshall*, did not decide paternity. The bankruptcy court allowed Birkhead and his counsel to participate because his testimony was material, but the court stated it had no jurisdiction over paternity matters[7](https://i.a.cnn.net/cnn/2007/images/02/22/finalorder07824.pdf).
After Smith died in Florida on February 8, 2007, at age 39, the paternity fight continued alongside a widely covered battle over her remains, which a Florida judge resolved by ordering burial next to her son in the Bahamas[1](https://www.cbsnews.com/news/timeline-anna-nicole-smith-28-02-2007/) • [2](https://www.pewresearch.org/journalism/2007/04/04/timeline-of-anna-nicole-smith-death-and-subsequent-events/). During the same period, von Anhalt said he might be the father of the baby and filed court papers in the paternity suit[2](https://www.pewresearch.org/journalism/2007/04/04/timeline-of-anna-nicole-smith-death-and-subsequent-events/).
## DNA results and custody
A DNA test was carried out on March 21, 2007, and confirmed what Birkhead had maintained, that he was Dannielynn's biological father[3](https://www.newjerseyfamilylawblog.com/paternity_of_dannielynn_offici/). The testing was performed by DNA Diagnostics Center, whose laboratory director Michael Baird provided the results confirming Birkhead as the father to the presiding judge in the Bahamian proceedings[4](https://dnacenter.com/blog/ddc-scientist-announces-dna-test-results-anna-nicole-smiths-baby/).
The results were made public on April 10, 2007, following a court hearing in the Bahamas. Birkhead said "I told you so" after the hearing; Stern, who had been caring for the girl, told reporters he would not fight Birkhead for custody[1](https://www.cbsnews.com/news/timeline-anna-nicole-smith-28-02-2007/) • [8](https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-2007-apr-11-na-annanicole11-story.html). Birkhead said at the time that he did not plan to share legal custody of the baby[9](https://bloximages.newyork1.vip.townnews.com/hastingstribune.com/content/tncms/assets/v3/editorial/9/02/902fe736-b920-11ec-8e30-7f3017194b8e/62535f9f035bc.pdf.pdf).
## Aftermath
On June 19, 2007, a Los Angeles commissioner admitted Smith's will to probate (court process validating a will and administering the estate); Birkhead was ordered to be guardian of the estate while Stern served as executor of the will[1](https://www.cbsnews.com/news/timeline-anna-nicole-smith-28-02-2007/). On March 4, 2008, a Los Angeles judge made 18-month-old Dannielynn Hope the sole heir of Smith's estate and set up a trust in her name, with Birkhead and the executor as co-trustees[1](https://www.cbsnews.com/news/timeline-anna-nicole-smith-28-02-2007/).
The case also produced follow-on litigation of its own. In 2007, Birkhead's former attorney filed a lawsuit claiming he had not paid her legal bills from the paternity dispute; Birkhead described the conflict as a fight for his daughter followed by a dispute over charges and fees[5](https://www.cbsnews.com/news/larry-birkhead-sued-by-his-ex-attorney/) • [10](https://www.foxnews.com/transcript/larry-birkhead-goes-on-the-record).
Birkhead raised Dannielynn in Kentucky, largely away from the spotlight, and the two became known for annual appearances at the [Kentucky Derby](https://www.edgepedia.org/kentucky-derby) and the Barnstable Brown Derby Eve Gala[11](https://www.tvinsider.com/1261764/). As of 2026, Dannielynn is a college sophomore studying forensics[12](https://www.thedailybeast.com/anna-nicole-smiths-daughter-dannielynn-birkhead-20-looks-just-like-late-mom/).
## References
1. [Timeline: Anna Nicole Smith, CBS News](https://www.cbsnews.com/news/timeline-anna-nicole-smith-28-02-2007/)
2. [Timeline of Anna Nicole Smith Death and Subsequent Events, Pew Research Center](https://www.pewresearch.org/journalism/2007/04/04/timeline-of-anna-nicole-smith-death-and-subsequent-events/)
3. [Paternity of Dannielynn, Official! New Jersey Family Law Blog](https://www.newjerseyfamilylawblog.com/paternity_of_dannielynn_offici/)
4. [DDC Scientist Announces DNA Test Results for Anna Nicole Smith's Baby, DNA Diagnostics Center](https://dnacenter.com/blog/ddc-scientist-announces-dna-test-results-anna-nicole-smiths-baby/)
5. [Larry Birkhead Sued By His Ex-Attorney, CBS News](https://www.cbsnews.com/news/larry-birkhead-sued-by-his-ex-attorney/)
6. [Anna Nicole Paternity Battle Continues, CBS News](https://www.cbsnews.com/news/anna-nicole-paternity-battle-continues/)
7. [In re: Vickie Lynn Marshall, final order (PDF)](https://i.a.cnn.net/cnn/2007/images/02/22/finalorder07824.pdf)
8. ['I told you so': DNA shows Birkhead is Smith baby's dad, Los Angeles Times](https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-2007-apr-11-na-annanicole11-story.html)
9. [Associated Press report on the Nassau paternity ruling (Hastings Tribune archive PDF)](https://bloximages.newyork1.vip.townnews.com/hastingstribune.com/content/tncms/assets/v3/editorial/9/02/902fe736-b920-11ec-8e30-7f3017194b8e/62535f9f035bc.pdf.pdf)
10. [Larry Birkhead goes 'On the Record', Fox News transcript](https://www.foxnews.com/transcript/larry-birkhead-goes-on-the-record)
11. [Dannielynn Birkhead Debuts Her Unique Style & Honors Mom Anna Nicole Smith, TV Insider](https://www.tvinsider.com/1261764/)
12. [Late Model's Daughter Marks 20th Birthday With Bold New Look, The Daily Beast](https://www.thedailybeast.com/anna-nicole-smiths-daughter-dannielynn-birkhead-20-looks-just-like-late-mom/)
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*Topic: Encyclopedia › Society and history › Law and justice › Private and civil law › Family and domestic relations law › Children, parentage, and parental responsibility › Parent and child in law*
*Initially written Sep 17, 2026 · Reviewed: Oct 25, 2026 · Edited: Oct 12, 2026; Oct 15, 2026; Oct 25, 2026 · Last review: Oct 25, 2026*
*Copyright 2026 EdgeChat AI, a subsidiary of Biostate AI.*
License: Edgepedia Community License 1.0, https://www.edgepedia.org/edgepedia/license