In 1995, Anna Nicole Smith’s 90-year-old husband of one year, J. Howard Marshall, died, leaving son Pierce Marshall and Smith to battle in court over his billion dollar estate. Smith eventually won $88.5 million, but the award was held awaiting appeal. In 2006, after stripping himself of most of his assets, the younger Marshall died. Smith herself died a year later. Now her lawyers are petitioning the Supreme Court to remove the stay on her award so they can chase the dead son of the dead husband’s money in the name of the dead woman.
“[Anna Nicole]’s estate will undeniably suffer irreparable harm if the stay is not vacated, as Pierce’s executor claims there is no money to pay the district court judgment, and [Anna Nicole]’s estate cannot pursue Pierce’s missing billions unless and until the stay is vacated,” said her lawyers. Because Larry Birkhead and Howard K. Stern need more money to fight over.
[Photo: WireImage]
March 12th, 2009 at 6:00 pm
No money left to pay the “estate”?? I seem to remember something about a pot calling a ketle somthing…
Infact, if HKS keeps billing “the estate” for these frivolous motions, there will be nothing left for ANS’s actual heir, Dannielynn. Well, that is, if by some fluke they actual win.
March 12th, 2009 at 7:09 pm
This flimsy legal tactic has failed for the Anna Nicole legal squad twice before in the 9th circuit and I’m not sure why they’re pursuing it now in front of our country’s highest court. The basic legal principle that the courts are prohibited from issuing judgments to collect from a deceased person’s estate, here Pierce’s, would counter this motion. This is simply the work of greed on the part of Howard K. Stern in a last ditch attempt to get his hands on a piece of the Marshall fortune. There is a reason neither he nor Anna has been able to collect from the Marshall estate in the last 15 years…mainly that they are not entitled to collect anything from the Marshall estate… but apparently this falls on deaf ears.
March 12th, 2009 at 8:36 pm
Belicoso is right–this is Howard and Larry’s supreme greed, plain and simple. They exploited Anna in death, they exploit Dannielynn in life and now this pathetic attempt to steal money that Anna nor they ever deserved. Disgusting,
March 12th, 2009 at 11:18 pm
Does anyone know where I could find on the internet a sample of
handwriting , or the signature, of Ms Smith?
Thank you.
March 13th, 2009 at 8:56 am
This case stands for the proposition that an audaciously crafted legal scheme can almost succeed at snatching a nearly billion dollar estate away from its rightful owners.
As a result this case has potentially ominous consequences. If the federal courts ultimately reward Anna Nicole’s legal team for its efforts, all of our estates are in jeopardy. The legal attack on this estate is a potentially new and dangerous type of litigation abuse which will inflict an enormous burden on the inheritance plans of all Americans, particular baby boomers who are now just entering retirement age. For them there are trillions of dollars are at stake. This case could decide whether they – or the courts- will choose their beneficiaries. With such a precedent on their side, unscrupulous lawyers and would-be heirs could overturn any testators expressed wishes by dissolving their life savings with legal fees or unintended inheritance judgments.