A California judge said the companion of the late Anna Nicole Smith may be forced to give DNA in the paternity case of Smith's daughter, lawyers said Tuesday.

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Superior Court Judge Robert A. Schnider denied a motion by Larry Birkhead, Smith's ex-lover, that would have compelled Howard K. Stern to immediately join the case, but the judge left open the possibility that he could change his mind later, the Los Angeles Times said.

The next court hearing in Los Angeles is March 28.

Birkhead, a California resident, claims he's the father of Dannilynn. Also claiming paternity is Stern, who is listed on the birth certificate as the father. "He's the father administratively, not biologically," Birkhead's lawyer, Debra Opri, said of Stern.

James Neavitt, Stern's attorney, and Ron Rale, representing Smith's estate, said that Stern might not join the case.

The question of the child's paternity also is being considered in the Bahamas, where the girl was born and where Smith and her son were buried. A hearing is scheduled Friday in a Bahamian court.

Smith died in Hollywood, Fla., casino hotel Feb. 8 of unknown causes.

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