Custody battle erupts over Anna Nicole Smith's Bahamas estate

The gated mansion in Nassau, Bahamas, where the late Anna Nicole Smith last lived has become the centre of a property spat with an American developer who had a brief relationship with the celebrity.

The attorney for South Carolina developer G. Ben Thompson declared on Friday that his client was the owner and had the locks changed.Thompson had a short relationship with the 39-year-old former Playboy model.

Smith claimed Thompson bought her the house as a gift.On Saturday, Smith's lawyer, Wayne Munroe, proclaimed that he had changed the locks again because Smith bought the mansion last July for $900,000 US.

The dispute will land in court as Smith had filed a lawsuit in the Bahamas before her death on Thursday asking the country's Supreme Court to recognize her purchase.

A hearing is scheduled for Feb. 26.

The property tussle comes as a conflict over the paternity of her five-month-old baby, Dannielynn Hope Marshall Stern, heats up.

Dannielynn in custody of Stern

Smith, who was discovered dead at her hotel room in the Seminole Hard Rock Hotel and Casino in Hollywood, Fla., on Thursday, gave birth to Dannielynn on Sept. 7.Three days later, her 20-year-old son Daniel Smith, died while visiting her in hospital.A private medical examiner concluded he died from a lethal combination of methadone and antidepressants.

At the time of Smith's death, photographer Larry Birkhead, had filed suit claiming to be Dannielynn's father. Smith had said her partner, lawyer Howard K. Stern, was the baby's father.

'As the other registered parent, Howard Stern has the right to speak to the custody of Dannielynn.' Lawyer Wayne Munroe

Then, on Friday, the husband of actress Zsa Zsa Gabor, Prince Frederic von Anhalt, announced he had a 10-year affair with Smith and may be the father.

Smith's lawyer says the child is being cared for by Stern.

"As the other registered parent, Howard Stern has the right to speak to the custody of Dannielynn. That has to be respected unless and until a court says otherwise," said Munroe on Saturday.

Witnesses say Stern is still at the mansion. Smith's mother, Vergie Arthur, arrived in Nassau Friday to check on her granddaughter, according to police.

Meanwhile, Smith's cause of death is still unknown. The medical examiner in Florida has said it could take weeks before the cause of her death is uncovered.

Smith, who grew up in a small Texas town, continues to be tabloid fodder after her death. During her life, she courted the paparazzi, often showing up in skimpy outfits and spouting gibberish on the red carpet and on awards shows.

She gained infamy when she married Texas oil tycoon J. Howard Marshall II, who died in 1995 at age 90. His family is still trying to wrestlethe $474 million US she inherited from him.