Paternity test in Anna Nicole Smith baby dispute put on hold

A judge in the Anna Nicole Smith baby dispute temporarily blocked an order forcing her daughter to undergo paternity testing, an attorney said.

Photo: Paternity test in Anna Nicole Smith baby dispute put on hold

A Tuesday deadline had been set for the test sought by Larry Birkhead, who claims he is the father of Dannielynn Hope Marshall Stern, who was born Sept. 7 in the Bahamas.

But the former Playboy playmate's attorney, Ronald A. Rale, questioned the legality of the test, saying Bahamas authorities needed to grant work permits before an American doctor could conduct the test.

The judge granted a stay pending a Feb. 7 hearing, Rale said.

Birkhead's attorney, Debra Opri, called Rale's request "a delay tactic."

She claimed the test was scheduled between 3 p.m. and 6 p.m. Tuesday but Smith never showed up, reports AP.

Birkhead sued in October to get a paternity test.

Smith's longtime personal lawyer, Howard K. Stern, maintains he is the baby's father.