Just use the object manager to get the permission.

django_openid_auth/auth.py

@@ -316,7 +316,7 @@ class OpenIDBackend:
             updated = True
         account_verified = details.get('account_verified', None)
         if (account_verified is not None):
-            permission = UserOpenID.permission()
+            permission = Permission.objects.get(codename='account_verified')
             perm_label = '%s.%s' % (permission.content_type.app_label,
                                     permission.codename)
             if account_verified and not user.has_perm(perm_label):

django_openid_auth/models.py

@@ -65,11 +65,7 @@ class UserOpenID(models.Model):
             ('account_verified', 'The OpenID has been verified'),
         )
 
-    @classmethod
-    def permission(self):
-        return Permission.objects.get(codename='account_verified')
-
     def delete(self, using=None):
-        permission = UserOpenID.permission()
+        permission = Permission.objects.get(codename='account_verified')
         self.user.user_permissions.remove(permission)
         super(UserOpenID, self).delete(using)

django_openid_auth/tests/test_auth.py

@@ -29,7 +29,11 @@
 import unittest
 
 from django.conf import settings
-from django.contrib.auth.models import Group, User
+from django.contrib.auth.models import (
+    Group,
+    Permission,
+    User,
+)
 from django.test import TestCase
 
 from django_openid_auth.auth import OpenIDBackend
@@ -207,7 +211,7 @@ class OpenIDBackendTests(TestCase):
 
     def _test_account_verified(self, user, initially_verified, expected):
         # set user's verification status
-        permission = UserOpenID.permission()
+        permission = Permission.objects.get(codename='account_verified')
         if initially_verified:
             user.user_permissions.add(permission)
         else:

django_openid_auth/tests/test_models.py

@@ -31,7 +31,10 @@ import unittest
 from django.contrib.auth.models import User
 from django.test import TestCase
 
-from django_openid_auth.models import UserOpenID
+from django_openid_auth.models import (
+    Permission,
+    UserOpenID,
+)
 
 
 class UserOpenIDModelTestCase(TestCase):
@@ -60,7 +63,7 @@ class UserOpenIDModelTestCase(TestCase):
             user=user,
             claimed_id='http://example.com/existing_identity',
             display_id='http://example.com/existing_identity')
-        permission = UserOpenID.permission()
+        permission = Permission.objects.get(codename='account_verified')
         user.user_permissions.add(permission)
         self.assertTrue(
             User.objects.get(username='someuser').has_perm(