Howard K. Stern files $60 Million Lawsuit Over Gay Sex Claim

Former MSNBC host and author Rita Cosby was hit with a $60 million libel lawsuit by attorney Howard K. Stern yesterday over allegations made in her recently-published book Blonde Ambition: The Untold Story Behind Anna Nicole Smith's Death.

Cosby claims in the book that Stern and Larry Birkhead were sexually involved and conspired to share Anna Nicole Smith's estate.

According to the AP, "Stern's lawsuit says that the book falsely accuses Stern of, among other things, criminal lewd acts, homosexual acts, illegal possession and use of cocaine, conspiring to commit murder and kidnapping for ransom. 'Defendants have exploited Ms. Smith's life and death by publishing false and defamatory factual accusations against' Stern, according to the 65-page lawsuit filed by Atlanta lawyer Lin Wood."

Stern told Entertainment Tonight in September: "Most of these witnesses, or, you can't even call them witnesses, but sources to Rita Cosby's book, they were doing media after media interview after Anna passed away and they took every shot at me that their imaginations could possibly dream up. And all of a sudden, the same people are coming back and they're saying, 'oh by the way, I forgot... Howard and Larry are gay and there's a video of them together.' It's ridiculous. I mean it's absolutely absurd. That woman Rita Cosby is either the dumbest person on earth or she knows that she's printing false information. And I don't think she's the dumbest person on earth. Dannielynn is gonna read this garbage and it's almost like she's going have to get counselling from the age of three."

Stern is seeking $10 million in compensatory and $50 million in punitive damages.

Howard K. Stern Breaks Silence on Gay Rumors [tr]
Larry Birkhead Explains Why He and Stern Hit Up Gay Pride [tr]
Larry Birkhead Responds to Gay Allegations on Larry King Live [tr]
Threats Fly Over Birkhead-Stern Gay Sex Claims in New Book [tr]

Howard K. Stern Breaks Silence on Gay Rumors

Attorney Howard K. Stern has joined Larry Birkhead in slamming Rita Cosby's book Blonde Ambition: The Untold Story Behind Anna Nicole Smith's Death, in which Cosby claims the two were having a sexual relationship and made a secret deal to split Smith's estate.

Stern told Entertainment Tonight: "Most of these witnesses, or, you can't even call them witnesses, but sources to Rita Cosby's book, they were doing media after media interview after Anna passed away and they took every shot at me that their imaginations could possibly dream up. And all of a sudden, the same people are coming back and they're saying, 'oh by the way, I forgot... Howard and Larry are gay and there's a video of them together.' It's ridiculous. I mean it's absolutely absurd. That woman Rita Cosby is either the dumbest person on earth or she knows that she's printing false information. And I don't think she's the dumbest person on earth. Dannielynn is gonna read this garbage and it's almost like she's going have to get counselling from the age of three."

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Larry Birkhead Explains Why He and Stern Hit Up Gay Pride

Larry Birkhead continues to respond to allegations by Rita Cosby that he and lawyer Howard K. Stern were sexually involved and conspired to share Anna Nicole Smith's estate, telling Us magazine that the only reason he and Stern were spotted at West Hollywood's The Abbey during Gay Pride is because he was there to document Anna Nicole.

Said Birkhead: "Zero truth to it. I don’t know how Cosby can print lies like that without once attempting to contact me. That’s journalism 101. I was a photographer. My camera is around my neck in every picture."

Except, of course, for this one, shot at the Abbey. But Birkhead's got the saner explanation here. Anna Nicole was known to flock where she knew her fans were, and on the gayest day of the year? Anyone who has ever spent time on Santa Monica on that Sunday in June (or The Abbey these days) knows the straights aren't afraid to come out in force.

Background
Larry Birkhead Responds to Gay Allegations on Larry King Live [tr]
Threats Fly Over Birkhead-Stern Gay Sex Claims in New Book [tr]

Larry Birkhead Responds to Gay Allegations on Larry King Live

Larry Birkhead appeared on Larry King Live last night to respond to a new bio of Anna Nicole Smith by Rita Cosby that alleges Birkhead and lawyer Howard K. Stern were involved sexually and made secret deals to split Smith's estate.

Check it out here.

Threats Fly Over Birkhead-Stern Gay Sex Claims in New Book

(image courtesy pretty on the outside)

It's hard to believe the Anna Nicole Smith saga could get any slimier but it has.

Threats are flying after the New York Daily News reported that a tell-all book on Anna Nicole Smith would allege that lawyer Howard K. Stern and Larry Birkhead were sexually involved and cut "a secret deal after Anna Nicole was buried in March, with Birkhead getting custody of Dannielynn in return for Stern being named executor of the star's estate."

Birkhead and Stern have both denied the accusations and are threatening to sue Rita Cosby, the author of Blonde Ambition: The Untold Story Behind Anna Nicole Smith's Death, should the book contain the allegations when it hits stands on Wednesday.

Cosby's claims are reportedly based on interviews with Jackie Hatten, who reports seeing Stern and Birkhead "intermingled" though Birkhead denies ever meeting her. Hatten's brother Mark is in prison for stalking Smith.

According to the Daily News, "The former stripper knew both Birkhead and Stern were gay, the book alleges. But Smith, who was obsessed with Marilyn Monroe, chose Birkhead as her lover because she wanted a blond, blue-eyed baby, according to Cosby. The tell-all claims Anna Nicole would spread out on her bed and watch a video allegedly showing Birkhead and Stern having oral sex 'over and over' while Stern worked on his computer in their Bahamas home. The existence of the video was confirmed by a source yesterday."

Birkhead told the Daily News: "None of it is true. I'm gonna sue Rita Cosby for it. If she printed that then she is really getting sued. My attorneys are going after her and that is absolutely false. She got fired and nobody wanted her. The last story she did was on Anna and now she is doing this book because no one will hire her. And I am sure Howard and the estate and everyone else involved is going to sue her too. This is just nonsense....Jackie Hatten has never met me and she hasn't even seen Anna since 2001. She isn't a credible source. Hatten tried to come to the Bahamas to see Anna last year and Anna wouldn't let her. And Jackie's brother went to jail for stalking Anna. This book is coming from the losers club because they all have axes to grind."

The book allegedly paints Birkhead and Stern as heartless co-conspirators: "As Anna Nicole's life slowly ebbed away, Stern allegedly abandoned her to keep an appointment with a boat broker. The book describes him as cold and nonchalant when told of Anna Nicole's death - a far cry from the picture of a doting lover he painted in interviews...Birkhead comes across as no angel either. The book claims Birkhead gave Smith cocktails of drugs and watched as Stern allegedly gave medication to Anna Nicole while she was attached to an IV drip in the hospital during her pregnancy."

TMZ reports that the Today show has cancelled an interview with Cosby after receiving a phone call from Stern's lawyer threatening to sue the program should Cosby repeat any of her defamatory claims on air.

Anna Nicole Smith book claims Birkhead & Stern were lovers; cut deal on baby, estate [nydn]
Larry Birkhead fuming over lies, gay sex talk in Anna Nicole Smith book [nydn]
"Today" Says Goodbye to Rita [tmz]

Male Model Claims to be Larry Birkhead's Gay Lover

In the latest chapter of the Anna Nicole saga, a male model from Kentucky has come out of the woodwork, claiming to the National Enquirer that he is Larry Birkhead's former gay lover. 38-year-old male model Kerrick Ross tells the tabloid that he met Birkhead (who has already begun shilling photos of he and his new daughter to the gossip rags) at "a cocktail party in Louisville around mid-2000 when Birkhead was a struggling real estate agent and writer, angling for a show business career in Hollywood. "

Said Ross: "America doesn't know the whole story about Larry Birkhead...He apparently had sex with Anna Nicole and fathered her baby, but there is no question: He also had sex with me! We were together for about two months and had sex eight to 10 times, always at my apartment. He often spent the whole night with me...I had been 'out' for a long time, but Larry was not out of the closet — and he was terrified about his family, who were devout Southern Baptists, finding out he was having a gay relationship. He was especially afraid of his father finding out. He said, 'If my Dad knew about this, he would kill me! He was more comfortable saying he was bi-sexual. I never knew him to go out with women when we were together, but I found out after we broke up that he had been seeing women."

Birkhead's camp claims the tabloids are getting revenge for the sale of the above pics to OK magazine, and says that lawsuits are imminent.

UPDATE: A Towleroad commenter has tracked down Kerrick's Friendster profile.