Details on Larry Birkhead's $620,492.84 legal bill

[Born In A Brothel]

TMZ has learned Larry Birkhead got a Fed Ex on Saturday, and it was not good news. It was a bill for legal services from Debri Opri, the lawyer he fired two weeks ago. The total: $620,492.84.

Opri billed her services out at $475 an hour. Here are some of the charges:

- A total of three $1,500 monthly charges for Luck Media & Marketing, Opri's personal publicist.

- On March 1, 2007, the day before Anna's funeral, there is a charge of 10 hours for "preparation for and attendance in Bahamas re services and var. meetings re same." On the day of Anna's funeral, there is another 10 hour charge with the exact same language. Ironically, TMZ knows Birkhead asked Opri not to even attend the funeral, but she did anyway. On March 3, Opri charged yet another 10 hours for travel from Nassau back to L.A.

- On February 24, 2007, while Opri and Birkhead stayed at a private residence in Ft. Lauderdale during the Florida hearing, Opri billed $600 for Seafood World. We're told she brought four trays of lobster to the house. The bill says, "Dinner gift/Ft. Lauderdale house stay." But it was no gift to Larry. That same day, she billed $211 for items at Publix grocery store.

- March 8, 2007, Opri billed $161.65 for an Outback Steakhouse dinner. And get this -- the bill was for $111.65. Opri left a $50 tip and billed Birkhead, who wasn't even there!

- Opri billed Birkhead $4,265 for Cingular roaming service while she was in the Bahamas.

- Opri billed Birkhead 18 times for Diva Limos that took them to and from the Ft. Lauderdale courthouse to the private residence.

- October 22, 2006, Opri billed Birkhead $1,116.16 for a dinner at Graycliff, a restaurant in Nassau. The note next to the charge is "Alexiou atty mtg." Alexiou is Birkhead's lawyer in the Bahamas. Birkhead was not present.

- The next day, October 23, Opri billed $2,467.75 at Graycliff restaurant for another meal. The charge again was for "Alexiou atty mtg." Again, Birkhead was not present.

- Also on October 23, Birkhead was billed $25.75. The item -- "laundry service Zawacki." Zawacki is Opri's husband, who was present on the trip. Ouch!

- Opri's bill reveals that "20/20" is more than a TV show -- it's the number of hours she bills for a "20/20" interview with Larry Birkhead. Opri and Birkhead went from L.A. to New York City on December 9, 2006, did the interview and returned the next day. Opri billed 10 hours travel time each way.

In all, the packet of bills Birkhead received today totaled 112 pages. Opri offered Birkhead a bargain: Instead of the $620,492.84 bill, she offered him a discount at $511,365.09, but only if he accepts immediately. Opri wrote, "I'm still willing to accept the discounted billing at this time, but only without further discussion."

TMZ contacted James Levesque, Opri's publicist with Luck Media & Marketing. He said, "Debra Opri always gets paid. That's what she does for a living." Beyond that, he wouldn't comment on the bill. Opri could not be immediately reached for comment.

UPDATE: TMZ has just obtained a statement from David Owen, Opri's lawyer. He said, "We're pretty confident that her bills are fair and reasonable and he has not paid them. She is entitled to be paid and he stiffed her and her bills are fair and reasonable."

Debra Opri Bills Birkhead King's Ransom - TMZ.com

[Novice]

Debra Opri Bills Birkhead Kings Ransom

Posted Apr 1st 2007 3:10AM by TMZ Staff
Filed under: Anna Nicole Smith

TMZ has learned Larry Birkhead got a Fed Ex on Saturday, and it was not good news. It was a bill for legal services from Debri Opri, the lawyer he fired two weeks ago. The total: $620,492.84.

Opri billed her services out at $475 an hour. Here are some of the charges:

- A total of three $1,500 monthly charges for Luck Media & Marketing, Opri's personal publicist.

- On March 1, 2007, the day before Anna's funeral, there is a charge of 10 hours for "preparation for and attendance in Bahamas re services and var. meetings re same." On the day of Anna's funeral, there is another 10 hour charge with the exact same language. Ironically, TMZ knows Birkhead asked Opri not to even attend the funeral, but she did anyway. On March 3, Opri charged yet another 10 hours for travel from Nassau back to L.A.

- On February 24, 2007, while Opri and Birkhead stayed at a private residence in Ft. Lauderdale during the Florida hearing, Opri billed $600 for Seafood World. We're told she brought four trays of lobster to the house. The bill says, "Dinner gift/Ft. Lauderdale house stay." But it was no gift to Larry. That same day, she billed $211 for items at Publix grocery store.

- March 8, 2007, Opri billed $161.65 for an Outback Steakhouse dinner. And get this -- the bill was for $111.65. Opri left a $50 tip and billed Birkhead, who wasn't even there!

- Opri billed Birkhead $4,265 for Cingular roaming service while she was in the Bahamas.

- Opri billed Birkhead 18 times for Diva Limos that took them to and from the Ft. Lauderdale courthouse to the private residence.

- October 22, 2006, Opri billed Birkhead $1,116.16 for a dinner at Graycliff, a restaurant in Nassau. The note next to the charge is "Alexiou atty mtg." Alexiou is Birkhead's lawyer in the Bahamas. Birkhead was not present.

- The next day, October 23, Opri billed $2,467.75 at Graycliff restaurant for another meal. The charge again was for "Alexiou atty mtg." Again, Birkhead was not present.

- Also on October 23, Birkhead was billed $25.75. The item -- "laundry service Zawacki." Zawacki is Opri's husband, who was present on the trip. Ouch!

In all, the packet of bills Birkhead received today totaled 112 pages. Opri offered Birkhead a bargain: Instead of the $620,492.84 bill, she offered him a discount at $511,365.09, but only if he accepts immediately. Opri wrote, "I'm still willing to accept the discounted billing at this time, but only without further discussion."

TMZ contacted James Levesque, Opri's publicist with Luck Media & Marketing. He said, "Debra Opri always gets paid. That's what she does for a living." Beyond that, he wouldn't comment on the bill. Opri could not be immediately reached for comment.

UPDATE: TMZ has just obtained a statement from David Owen, Opri's lawyer. He said, "We're pretty confident that her bills are fair and reasonable and he has not paid them. She is entitled to be paid and he stiffed her and her bills are fair and reasonable."

Debra Opri Bills Birkhead King's Ransom - TMZ.com

Ok, call me stupid, but how can she bill him for an event that she went to against her clients wishes? & billing for a gift means it isn't a gift... & her lawyers saying that Larry stifed her? Can they do that? Surely that's not professional? Shit I should've been a lawyer, wouldn't have been able to slep at nights, but what a bed....!

[McJag]

Honey, I think she is dead on serious. I'm sure she has some legal reason she HAD to go against his wishes!

[Novice]

Originally Posted by McJag

Honey, I think she is dead on serious. I'm sure she has some legal reason she HAD to go against his wishes!

but she & her husband have basically had a holiday (vacation) in the Bahamas & he's footing the bill! If that was me I'd have wanted to pick the roach-infested motel that they stayed at!!!


and that's bullying! "I'm still willing to accept the discounted billing at this time, but only without further discussion."

[darksithbunny]

ok. One more reason why I don't like lawyers who are to tedious of charges. I would hope she was just as tedious about his case as well.

[McJag]

Originally Posted by Novice

but she & her husband have basically had a holiday (vacation) in the Bahamas & he's footing the bill! If that was me I'd have wanted to pick the roach-infested motel that they stayed at!!!


and that's bullying! "I'm still willing to accept the discounted billing at this time, but only without further discussion."

Agree completely! HE should sue HER for this bill! Any jury would laugh it out of court!

[msdeb]

all that money and she didnt even get him custody. imagine the bill if she actually accomplished something?

[aabbcc]

How can he be charged for restaurant bills if he wasn't even there? Like I'm sure she was discussing his affairs without him being present.

[pacific breeze]

Not only that, she should be paying HIM for putting her on the celebrity map, where she proved to be a self-serving dud.

[Beeyotch]

I read this and it sounds like complete B.S., like she's getting back at him for kicking her off her high profile case by billing him for illegitimate charges--freakin' LIMO SERVICES? $2,000+ dinners he didn't attend?--these things are NOT truly business related.

She's just mad that he let her go and she's not on her precious high-profile case any more. By the looks of it, he did the right thing: she sounds like she didn't even listen to him as her client.

[sprynkles]

OMG...just evil.

[greeneyedbeauty]

haha. Well, there is normally a contract signed when an attorney takes such a big case. Normally listed in the contract are the items that will be billed to the party, saying that, if a contract was drawn then he knew he would have to pay such bills.

[DevilDoll2025]

some of the things she charged to him are stupid. like the laundry bill for her husband, $1,000+ dinners when he wasn't even there, How many time does she need to eat out and how much food does this woman eat?

[nwgirl]

While I wish him all the best of luck in getting his daughter back, I always wondered how he was planning on paying for all this stuff every time I saw him on TV.

Shit costs money.

And while I definitely think some of the charges are outrageous, he probably signed something that he didn't read or pay close enough attention to.

[louiswinthorpe111]

^^Agreed. I hoipe his contract with her was very detailed, otherwise he may be screwed. Although, I do agreed that a lot of the charges are BS.

Second, does anyone really think he has a half million dollars sitting around? It's not like he's been awarded custody.