Supreme Court Rules Against Anna Nicole Smith Estate

By Marc Schneider Posted Jun 24th 2011 10:01AM

The long, sad, and convoluted saga of Anna Nicole Smith versus the estate of her late husband is over. The Supreme Court on Thursday ruled against Smith's estate, which long-argued that she was promised $300 million dollars from oil tycoon J. Howard Marshall, who married the bombshell model when he was 89 to her 26 years. Marshall's will gave his $1.6 billion fortune to his son, and the high court ruled 5-4 that a bankruptcy judge's ruling in 2002 to give her a huge chunk of that was decided incorrectly.

The five-member conservative wing of the court ruled against Smith's estate, headed by Larry Birkhead, who fathered a daughter with the model, and attorney Howard K. Stern.

In writing the decision, Chief Justice John Roberts said that "although the bankruptcy court had the statutory authority to enter judgment on Vickie's counterclaim, it lacked the constitutional authority to do so."

The family of E. Pierce Marshall, the late son of J. Howard Marshall, cheered the decision.

"J. Howard's wishes were always perfectly clear: He gave Anna Nicole Smith approximately $8 million in gifts during his lifetime, and those gifts were all that he intended to give her," said Eric Brunstad, the Marshalls' lawyer.

The saga goes like this:

A wheelchair-bound Marshall met Smith (Vickie Lynn Smith at the time) in the early 1990s at a Houston strip club, where she worked. He became instantly smitten with her and began buying her homes, cars and horses. They wed in June 1994, against his family's wishes. She famously left him in tears immediately after their "I Do's" to fly off to a modeling job and they reportedly never lived together.
Marshall died 13 months later, on August 4, 1995. His will left his estate to his son, with no mention of his third wife, who had in that short period of time become on internationally ogled Playboy and Guess model.
Smith challenged the will, claiming Marshall promised her $300 million, but a Houston court decided he was mentally fit when he filed his updated will giving his wife nothing.
The model moved to California and later filed for bankruptcy. A bankruptcy judge awarded her $475 million from Marshall's estate, but that amount was reduced in 2002 to $89 million by a federal judge.
Then, an appeals court in San Francisco threw that ruling out, saying a bankruptcy judge could not rule on that kind of case (probate).

The court's liberal wing (Justices Stephen Breyer, Ruth Bader Ginsburg, Elena Kagan and Sonia Sotomayor) argued that bankruptcy courts do indeed play a role in these matters and that the decision could force a large number of cases in bankruptcy courts to have to be bumped into federal courts.

In his decision with the majority, Roberts bluntly acknowledged how confusing, and ultimately tragic, the case was.

This "suit has, in course of time, become so complicated, that ... no two ... lawyers can talk about it for five minutes, without coming to a total disagreement as to all the premises. Innumerable children have been born into the cause; innumerable young people have married into it."

He also said that sadly, both Smith and E. Pierce Marshall "have died out of it."

The AP: "The younger Marshall died in 2006 and Smith died of a drug overdose in 2007. Smith's daughter, Dannielynn Birkhead, was named Smith's heir in 2008. The girl's father, Larry Birkhead, and attorney Howard K. Stern are in charge of the estate."

Tags: Anna Nicole Smith, J. Howard Marshall, Supreme Court

Comments

(37)

Friday 24 June

By Taxiof2

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Finally, the courts get something right. The woman did nothing for that man except take advantage of him. She was never entitled to anything. Now, her ex-boyfriend baby daddy thinks he deserves money. Sick people, get a job and work!

By Frank

This is a joke

By Ann

Thank God now can that whole ugly matter end. She never deserved any of that money.

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By KR

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...but she LOVED THAT MAN!!!!!

By Tom

Yeah, right. Loved his money.

Sunday 26 June

By MadameX

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Of course you mean in the same way that Tiffany's loves Newt Gingrich! (wink, wink)

By Queen

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Do you see that smile? She was making his last days happy!! Yea for Anna Nicole.

By almagayle50

It is incredible that courts are constantly consumed with one mistress after another and the status of the majority of women in America is so low. They should take a look at the legality of Family Court laws.

By JudeThom

But there were united in holy HETEROSEXUAL Matrimony!!!!!

But they were united in holy HETEROSEXUAL Matrimony!!!!!

By Susan

WHY???? With all the Desperately Important Cases Pending in front
of the Supreme Court, would they even consider a case like this
one? This only concerns a few people, when a lot of the other
cases concern the whole country. Wake up America. Sometimes, it
takes years to hear a case, and theis one was pushed to the front
of the heap. That is what is important about this case...nothing
else.

Saturday 25 June

By tmf1977

Not necessarily. Certori was propably granted to avoid Bankruptcy Court in over stepping its boundaries in deciding and awarding judgment on wills. 26 years is a ridiculous amount of time to challenge a will (regardless who is the petitioner). Although Anna Nicole Smith and her shannigans don't effect the average person, Bankruptcy Judge was incorrect in awarding her money from Marshal's estate. SCOTUS just set precedence for future messes like this one.

The whole thing is a joke

By Jan

The Supreme court ruled correctly! The Texas court ruled for the Marshalls and the bimbo then moved to the fruitcake state of California who unjustly over ruled Texas, all in the hopes of taxing the hell out of the money she would get had not the Supreme court intervened. This was nothing but a BIG WASTE of TAXPAYERS money!

By MICHAEL

About time the courts shut down one of these "GOLD DIGGERS". BABABAHAHAHAHA. Wonder if the old man ever has a good time with her even once. Don't think Viagara can work at that age. Pill poppin junkie didn't deserve a penny just for being stupid.

By ccc

she should have gotten the money just for being with him....ugh

By Lou

I don't understand the explanation of the Supreme's ruling. The bankruptcy court had the statutory authority but not the constitutional authority? That makes no sense. Either the statute was constitutional or it wasn't.

By Penny

Too bad, so sad, looks like Larry-boy will have to get a JOB (OMG)!!!

By joe bassett

She clearly loved him and wanted to be with him and only him. She would have changed his bed pan and wiped his butt and of course he was probably good in bed. But the very next day she got a modeling job offer in the mail and he plans changed. If it came down to what she deserved it would be nothing. He didn't earn money with her. I don't know how anyone could award her 300 million. She got 8 million and was well paid.

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