Larry Birkhead gets hefty bill for Anna Nicole trial from fired attorney
It seems as though Anna Nicole Smith will keep helping our ecomony as long as the drama continues. Her ex-boyfriend Larry Birkhead just got a $620,492.84 bill from his former attorney Debra Opri.
Birkhead, of course, has been involved in several legal battles since Anna Nicole died including the paternity battle against Howard K. Stern over Smith's daughter Dannielynn, custody of the little girl and the battle over where Anna Nicole Smith would lay to rest. I bet he never thought it would cost over a half million bucks.
- According to TMZ, Opril billed out her services at $475 an hour with over 112 pages of invoices. Oh, and evidently this woman can eat!
- A total of three $1,500 monthly charges for Luck Media & Marketing, Opri's personal publicist.
- On March 1, 2007, the day before Anna's funeral, there is a charge of 10 hours for "preparation for and attendance in Bahamas re services and var. meetings re same." On the day of Anna's funeral, there is another 10 hour charge with the exact same language.
- On February 24, 2007, while Opri and Birkhead stayed at a private residence in Ft. Lauderdale during the Florida hearing, Opri billed $600 for Seafood World. TMZ were told she brought four trays of lobster to the house. The bill says, "Dinner gift/Ft. Lauderdale house stay." But it was no gift to Larry. That same day, she billed $211 for items at Publix grocery store.
- Opri billed Birkhead $4,265 for Cingular roaming service while she was in the Bahamas.
- Opri billed Birkhead 18 times for Diva Limos that took them to and from the Ft. Lauderdale courthouse to the private residence.
- October 22, 2006, Opri billed Birkhead $1,116.16 for a dinner at Graycliff, a restaurant in Nassau. The note next to the charge is "Alexiou atty mtg." Alexiou is Birkhead's lawyer in the Bahamas. Birkhead was not present.\
- The next day, October 23, Opri billed $2,467.75 at Graycliff restaurant for another meal. The charge again was for "Alexiou atty mtg." Again, Birkhead was not present.
- Also on October 23, Birkhead was billed $25.75. The item -- "laundry service Zawacki." Zawacki is Opri's husband, who was present on the trip.
TMZ called Opri's high priced publicist James Levesque with Luck Media & Marketing. He said, "Debra Opri always gets paid. That's what she does for a living." Wow, a bit cocky huh?
No one has been able to reach Opri herself for comment. Birkhead fired Opri on March 16th after the two realized they don't see eye-to-eye.
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Too bad she wasn't representing Howard K. Stern. Turns out she's just like him. She was really obnoxious. Vengeful too, as it turns out.
As slimey as Howard K. Stern is, Debra Opri is worse. The way she chased down the Jackson family in order to get her snout on TV and her name in the media told me what she was made of. And then of course, she (just like other attorneys) claims to be a valiant pursuer of justice, but screws her clients right and left in the process. She should be disbarred. There is no justice in this billing. Is it any wonder that attorneys have such a bad reputation? The decent attorneys should be raising hell about this, but they won't, because if they're not just like that, they're too weak to do anything about changing this because they just don't have a spine. Really disgusting. I hope I never see Ms. Opri's ugly schnoz on the TV again, she has no decency or credibilty anymore.
DEAR GRETA,
I disagree with your comment about Howard K. Stern. Mr. Stern is not a gold digger. He did not charge Anna Nicole for legal services and other services after they lived together. She paid his expenses. He did not have income.
Mr. Stern had to borrow money from his parents to attend the court hearing in Florida. This is the extent to which much Mr. Stern does not fiddle with Anna Nicole's money.
Suppose Mr. Stern had also charged Anna Nicole $475 per hour for the work he did for her? Anna knew that when she asked Howard to check out gravesites or any other task she was getting a legally trained professional to perform her work.
I don't think Mr. Birkhead is a bad person. Not at all. But I think the best thing to ever happen to Anna Nicole was Mr.Stern.
__________
BIRKHEAD'S FEE FROM OPRI
This is exhorbitant ! And why would Larry Birkhead have to pay for Zawacki's laundry service? This is disgraceful. Ms. Opri has gouged Mr. Birkhead. It is plain to see.
Now Mr. Birkhead realizes Ms. Opri was not his advocate out of love for him. She was his advocate on a legal-professional basis.
Mr. Birkhead is a young man (young to me) - and really so was Anna Nicole (39 I believe). He would have no way of knowing in advance that this kind of billing is the way of the world among some attorneys. Most relationships, not all, revolve around money. Ms. Opri is/was a professional, but a very self-motivated professional as well. Ms. Debra Opri could not be concerned about HIS BEST INTERSTS in serving him such a legal bill.
so he can counter sue for alleged fraudulent billing and alleged contract fraud because there might be an attorney client contract that would prove alleged contract fraud for billing items not agreed upon; in California there has to be a "meeting of the minds" or a contract is rescindable or voidable
I am not surprised at this bill...outraged yes! The public should be aware that legal expenses are causeing many areas of society and famlies to loose all of their monies...It cost me over one million dollars in Providence Probate Court for a woman with two children to
go through with SEVEN attorneys billing...They do not care if you end up on the street! Attorneys are tripping over one another...only 6 years of college, compared with over 12 years for a surgeon in many areas and they think they are brain surgeons! Do not trust estate or
trust laws unless your state has caps...or you might end up on the street...I stated months ago Birkhead and Virgie will be bankrupt like Anna from attorney bills...A million is nothing when they start putting their husbands, etc...on the payroll and pleasureroll!!! Lobster...oh yes she did take advantage of her client...but they almost always do...It is 99.9% of attorneys that make the others look bad...
I am not surprised at this bill...outraged yes! The public should be aware that legal expenses are causeing many areas of society and famlies to loose all of their monies...It cost me over one million dollars in Providence Probate Court for a woman with two children to
go through with SEVEN attorneys billing...They do not care if you end up on the street! Attorneys are tripping over one another...only 6 years of college, compared with over 12 years for a surgeon in many areas and they think they are brain surgeons! Do not trust estate or
trust laws unless your state has caps...or you might end up on the street...I stated months ago Birkhead and Virgie will be bankrupt like Anna from attorney bills...A million is nothing when they start putting their husbands, etc...on the payroll and pleasureroll!!! Lobster...oh yes she did take advantage of her client...but they almost always do...It is 99.9% of attorneys that make the others look bad...
Dear GRACE:
I'll bet someone has some oceanfront property in Nebraska that you would love!
Those of us who have had Howard K. Stern-type manipulative, calculating svengalis in their lives know one when they see one. They all use the same tired tactics and they are very easy to identify and predict. For you to think Howard K. Stern is wonderful means that you either don't know what those closest to Anna Nicole have said about events which took place with Anna and Howard, or that you have chosen to remain blind and ignore the facts. For instance-- why did Howard instruct everyone in Anna's house to hang up on Daniel (Anna's son) when he called and not let him speak to Anna? Don't you think that is strange especially since Anna loved Daniel so? Do you understand that the 1st step someone makes to control others is to get them away from anyone else in their life that could have any influence on them? Do you know that Howard influenced Anna to terminate relationships and avoid her family and friends after she became involved with Howard K. Stern? (Those two items just for starters.)
You are obviously naive and well-protected from the evils in life. You must be about 10 or 11 emotionally. I wish you luck if you insist on staying that way, because it is those who think like you (and Anna Nicole) who are the perfect suckers for Howard K. Stern types. You will need the luck.
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