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Anna Nicole Smith’s Ex Accuses|Two More People Of Defamation

LOS ANGELES (CN) - Howard K. Stern, the lawyer and boyfriend of the late Anna Nicole Smith, accuses two people of defaming him with "a number of salacious and criminal" lies as sources for the biography "Blonde Ambition: The Untold Story Behind Anna Nicole Smith's Death." Stern also has a $60 million libel lawsuit pending against Rita Cosby, the author of "Blonde Ambition."

Stern and Smith exchanged vows in a nonbinding ceremony four months before Smith was found dead of a painkiller overdose at the Hard Rock Hotel in Hollywood, Fla.

Stern claimed to be the father of Smith's daughter, Dannielynn Hope Marshall Stern, but a Bahamian judge ordered a paternity test and found that another of Smith's former boyfriends, photojournalist Larry Birkhead, was Dannielynn's father. Smith's other child, Daniel, died at 20, after overdosing at her bedside.

Stern says Cosby names Birkhead's former bodyguard, defendant Mark Speer, as one of her sources for "Blonde Ambition."

According to the Superior Court complaint, Speer provided Cosby with made-up stories about Stern, claiming that Birkhead accused him of stealing $30,000 a month from Smith by funneling the money through Stern's parents to offshore bank accounts.

Speer claimed that Birkhead told him that "his mission at the time was to get Howard arrested and convicted for the death of Daniel and the continued drugging of Anna Nicole," according to the complaint.

Speer also allegedly claimed to have been at secret meetings of Stern and Birkhead where the two men conspired to divide Smith's estate. Speer allegedly claimed that Stern offered Birkhead custody of Dannielynn in exchange for Birkhead's promise not to contest Stern as executor of the estate.

Stern says he never made any such offer, instead "facilitating a smooth transition of the child to her biological father."

Stern also sued Vickie Hatten, whom he calls Smith's former acquaintance, as a source of defamatory material. He says Hatten told Cosby that Stern gave Smith all sorts of drugs. "Vicodin, Valium, morphine, Demerol, you name it, he had it," Hatten purportedly said. Hatton allegedly claimed that Daniel confided in her several months before his death, saying he was worried about all the drugs Stern was giving her, and that he wanted to go to the Bahamas to "save" Smith.

Hatten allegedly made up a story about walking in on Stern and Birkhead having sex at a Hollywood party. Hatten allegedly claimed that Stern pimped Anna out to men whom he called part of "the Millionaire's Club." Stern denies those allegations and says he has never spoken with Birkhead. He demands punitive damages, attorney's fees, and costs. He is represented by David Tarlow.

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