Former
Playboy Playmate Anna Nicole Smith's troubles seem far from over. After losing her 19-year-old son Daniel to a drug abuse related death and being embroiled in a paternity controversy involving her newborn daughter Dannielynn Hope, the 39-year-old now faces eviction from her home in the Bahamas.
The US$1-million seafront home belongs to developer G Ben Thompson, who said that the house was given to Nicole Smith in August with the understanding that she would sign a mortgage and buy the house from him later. “She said it was a gift. I never said that. I don't have that kind of money,” Thompson said to a popular celebrity magazine.
Nicole Smith shares the house with her lawyer Howard Stern, who claims to be the father of her newborn daughter. A letter asking the model and actress to vacate the house was hand-delivered by Thompson's attorney on October 20. If Nicole Smith fails to pay heed, the developer has threatened to bring about a legal case against her and seek formal eviction. She has been given the deadline of October 31 to move out. “I don't want to embarrass her or humiliate Anna. I just need my money, or collateral, back,” Thompson said.
An eviction can strengthen the case of Nicole Smith's ex-lover Larry Birkhead, who claims Dannielynn Hope is his baby and has demanded a paternity test for confirmation. The Playmate has refused Birkhead's request and evaded a forcible paternity suit by trying to gain a Bahamas citizenship on the grounds that she owns a house there. If evicted, Nicole Smith might have to return to her California home and submit to a test to identify Dannielynn's father.
Meanwhile, Ron Rale, who is representing Nicole Smith in the paternity case, refused to confirm or deny the receipt of the eviction notice. He, however, sympathized with Nicole Smith over the recent events. “If that's the case, it's amazing the sequence of events that poor Anna Nicole has had to endure, the one bright light being Dannielynn,” Rale said.
In a strong message to Birkhead and his attorney Debra Opri, Nicole Smith opted out of a meeting with Opri in the Bahamas, irking the lawyer who is now threatening to use the no-show to her client's advantage. “I came to the Bahamas to depose Anna Nicole Smith as part of Birkhead's paternity action. Despite Smith's statements she was not properly served, she was legally obligated to appear today. She has not. Accordingly, Birkhead will now use her non-appearance as grounds to strike her challenge to the California court jurisdiction,” Opri said in a statement.
She also accused the model of 'exploiting' Dannielynn. “As concerns the on-going exploitation of my client's child with the sale of photographs and interviews, all we will say is, it is a shameless, despicable act. This is a tragedy of a natural father, Larry Birkhead, who is being deprived of the bonding process of a father and his daughter,” Opri added.
But defending Nicole Smith's decision, one of her Bahamas attorneys Wayne Munroe said Opri has a tough battle ahead if she tries to get a paternity test from his client. “If anyone is to be inconvenienced, let him (Birkhead) be inconvenienced and bring this action here. If this young woman (Opri) thinks advertising will sway my client, she is rudely mistaken,” he said.
