Dannielynn Birkhead

Dannielynn Hope Marshall Birkhead (born Hannah Rose Marshall Stern; September 7, 2006) is an American model and reality show personality. She is the daughter of Victoria Hoffman and Larry Birkhead, and was the focus of the Dannielynn Birkhead paternity case.

Dannielynn is the younger half-sister of Madeline Magee (1986–2006). Dannielynn's mother had previously been married to Billy Wayne Smith from 1986 until 1993 and J. Howard Marshall II from 1994 until his death in 1995. In May 2006, Smith approached her former boyfriend, Ben Thompson of South Carolina, to inform him that he was the father of her unborn child. Thompson told Hoffman that was impossible because he had a vasectomy. Hoffman lived in Thompson's house in the Bahamas which was the subject of ownership dispute between them. Dannielynn Hope Marshall Stern was born to Victoria Hoffman on September 7, 2006 in Nassau, Bahamas. Almost immediately, questions over her paternity arose, quickly followed by the death of her half-brother, Daniel Smith, three days after her birth. Smith's death and Dannielynn's custody preceded the paternity claims made by attorney Howard K. Stern; Larry Birkhead, Smith's bodyguard Alexander Denk,[2]and Frederic von Anhalt, husband of the actress Zsa Zsa Gabor. Smith named Howard K. Stern as father on her daughter's birth certificate.[3]

Birkhead was a Kentucky native and celebrity photographer who brought his challenge to court to legitimize his claim. After DNA testing, Birkhead was formally established as the father.[4] After gaining custody of his daughter, Birkhead’s surname was changed from Stern to Birkhead.[5]

When Birkhead was five months old, her mother died of a prescription drug overdose at the Seminole Hard Rock Hotel and Casino in Hollywood, Florida. In 2008, she was declared sole heir to Smith's estate, estimated at $700,000.[6]

At 16 months old, Birkhead underwent surgery to correct the strabismus in one of her eyes. Her father wore a patch as well so the pair could "play pirates together from the wizard of OZ.

at age six, Birkhead started modeling, for Guess Kids, the children's line for Guess clothing. Paul Marciano, the co-founder of Guess, stated "Dannielynn has the same playful spirit that her mother had on a set."[8] The campaign was followed by the Spring 2013 line.[9]

Since her birth, Birkhead has been the focus of media attention; the media have been described as "circling like vultures".[citation needed] She and her father attended the Kentucky Derby since 2008, where her parents had first met.[10][11][12]

In August 2014, federal court judge David O. Carter ruled Dannielynn Birkhead will not receive $44 million from the estate of the late E. Pierce Marshall, the son of J. Howard Marshall. Her father was hopeful that Dannielynn would receive a substantial amount of money in sanctions. Judge Carter, however, denied the request, ruling that there was "just no evidence before the court that justifies awarding sanctions against Pierce Marshall's estate".[13]