Birkhead sued by attorney

LOS ANGELES, May 30 (UPI) -- The lawyer who represented Larry Birkhead in proving he was the father of Anna Nicole Smith's daughter sued him in Los Angeles over money he allegedly owes.

Court documents don't specify the amount Debra Opri claims Birkhead owes her but it was reported he owed Opri $600,000, Access Hollywood reported.

Birkhead ignored demands from Opri and her attorney David B. Owen to pay according to terms of their contract, court documents said.

Opri represented Birkhead in challenging Smith's long-time companion Howard K. Stern over custody of Smith's remains. The men eventually agreed she would be buried in the Bahamas next to her 20-year-old son, Daniel, who died last year of a drug overdose shortly after daughter Dannielynn was born.

In March, Opri announced she no longer represented Birkhead. Paternity test results in April showed Birkhead was the father.

Opri remained Birkhead's lawyer until last month, however, because he did not sign a release form, the attorney said in her suit. While Birkhead never signed the form, he did not appear in court April 23 to contest Opri's motion to withdraw, so a Los Angeles Superior Court judge approved it that day.