ebra Opri, the lawyer who supposedly (and likely) agreed to represent Larry Birkhead pro bono, is suing Birkhead for $600,000 legal bill. Opri had agreed to represent Birkhead in exchange for the publicity his custody battle with Anna Nicole Smith would give her (depending on who’s side you believe). It’s hard to believe that Birkhead would have entered into a traditional contract with a lawyer who was going to charge him the standard exorbitant rates, consider that a lot of lawyers would have loved to represent him in the publicity-generating trial. But Opri says Birkhead owes her $600,000, and is also suing Birkhead for defamation. There is a ton of animosity between the two, and following their own little case can be a little complicated.
“She sued Dannielynn’s dad for defamation Monday, claiming that he has engaged in a ‘malicious and relentless media campaign to discredit me and to destroy my reputation,’ according to a statement from Opri released to E! Online. The plaintiff [Opri] said, however, that all proceeds from the suit will go to the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children.
“‘My primary concern has always been for a child named Dannielynn…It is my belief and my strong conviction that no child should be exploited in any manner,’ she said. After petitioning a judge to order Birkhead into arbitration to settle his unpaid $600,000 legal bill for the six months of services she provided him during his paternity battle with Anna Nicole Smith, Birkhead filed his own lawsuit against the Los Angeles attorney, accusing her of fraud and legal malpractice.
The Kentucky-born and L.A.-based photographer claimed that Opri, after originally agreeing to represent him pro bono in exchange for all the publicity she was going to receive from the case, amassed a list of frivolous expenses that she expected him to pay for.”
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