(February 9, 2007)—A judge Friday in California refused to order an emergency DNA test of Anna Nicole Smith for a paternity suit involving her infant daughter.

Smith’s longtime lawyer and companion Howard K. Stern and Smith’s ex-boyfriend, photographer Larry Birkhead, both claim to be the father of 5-month-old Dannielynn Smith.

Experts say the custody decision could determine the child's inheritance.

With major legal issues undecided, Smith's legacy could take years to untangle and could leave the baby girl with millions of dollars or nothing at all.

Birkhead’s attorney, however, said the judge did order that Smith’s body be held until a full hearing on Feb. 20.

If the order stands, that means Smith’s remains cannot be buried or cremated until the legal issue in California is resolved.

Click Here For Anna Nicole Smith’s Web Site

Anna Nicole Smith Timeline
(Source: Associated Press)
Nov. 28, 1967: Born Vickie Lynn Hogan in Houston.
1983: Quits high school, works as a waitress, cook.
April 1985: Marries 16-year-old Billy Wayne Smith, another fry cook at the restaurant where she worked; they have a son, Daniel Smith VIII.
-Mid-1986: Leaves her husband, taking her son and returning to Houston. For the next several years, she supports herself and Daniel by working at a Wal-Mart and a restaurant, and dancing topless at strip clubs.
October 1991: Meets Texas oil billionaire J. Howard Marshall II while dancing at a Houston club.
February 1992: Files for divorce from Billy Smith.
March 1992: Debuts on the cover of Playboy.
May 1992: Featured in Playboy as the centerfold.
November 1992: Signs a three-year contract to be the new model for Guess jeans, also coining her new name, "Anna Nicole."
May 1993: Appears again in Playboy and is later named Playmate of the Year.
Feb. 12, 1994: Is hospitalized for three days after mixing prescription drugs and alcohol, then collapsing at a Beverly Hills hotel.
June 27, 1994: Marries oil tycoon J. Howard Marshall II. She is 26; he is 89.
January 1995: Marshall falls seriously ill, and his son E. Pierce Marshall moves to be appointed his father's legal guardian.
Legal fight between Smith and Pierce ensues when he cuts off her spousal support of $50,000 a month.
Aug. 4, 1995: J. Howard Marshall dies of pneumonia at age 90, leaving spousal support fight unresolved.
November 1995: Smith hospitalized for six days following what her spokesman calls an adverse reaction to prescription medication.
February 1996: Files for bankruptcy in California.
Sept. 27, 2000: A California judge issues a $450 million ruling for Smith against Pierce Marshall, later upped to $474 million.
March 7, 2001: A Houston jury rules that Smith is not entitled to half the estate of her late husband, and that his sole heir is his son.
May 24, 2001: A U.S. district judge in Los Angeles throws out the $474 million judgment previously awarded from the estate of her late husband.
March 2002: The U.S. District Court judge awards Smith $88 million of J. Howard Marshall's oil fortune, concluding that Smith deserves half the investment income Marshall earned during their marriage, plus $44 million in punitive damages resulting from the younger Marshall's attempts to cut her off.
Aug. 4, 2002: Premiere of "The Anna Nicole Show," the E! reality series in which a camera follows her through her everyday routine.
October 2003: Becomes spokeswoman for TrimSpa diet pills.
Dec. 30, 2004: A federal appeals court in San Francisco overturns Smith's $88.5 million inheritance award.
Feb. 28, 2006: Attends her hearing before the U.S. Supreme Court demurely dressed in black and avoiding making any statement.
May 1, 2006: The Supreme Court rules unanimously that Smith can pursue her late husband's fortune, overruling the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals which had ruled that federal courts could not handle Smith's case.
Sept. 7, 2006: Gives birth to baby girl named Dannielynn in the Bahamas.
Sept. 10, 2006: Smith's 20-year-old son, Daniel Smith, dies in his mother's hospital room in the Bahamas.
Sept. 26, 2006: Lawyer Howard K. Stern claims he is the father of Dannielynn. The following day, an ex-boyfriend, photographer Larry Birkhead, says he is the real father. Subsequent lawsuits filed.
Nov. 7, 2006: Smith is discharged from a week-long stay in a Bahamas hospital where she received treatment for pneumonia and a collapsed lung.
Dec. 21, 2006: The Los Angeles Superior Court rules that Smith must bring Dannielynn to California for a paternity test. That ruling was temporarily blocked and the question was pending.
Feb. 8, 2007: Smith dies in Florida at age 39.

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