On Monday, August 18, a federal judge rejected the final bid by the family of the late Playboy model and reality T.V. star Anna Nicole Smith to obtain millions from the fortune of her deceased husband, J. Howard Marshall II.
The move finally ended 19 years of legal strife between the estates of the two parties. The legal clash began when Pierce Marshall, son of Howard Marshall, received his father’s entire $1.6 billion inheritance. The model insisted that her late husband promised her $300 million, but a jury decided that Marshall was mentally capable when he removed Smith from his will.
In a last ditch effort, Smith’s estate attempted to collect $44 million in the form of sanctions for the behavior displayed by the other party during years of legal battle. However, U.S. District Court Judge David Carter rejected the Smith family’s bid, and stated that given the litigation’s length, going forward with the case would “neither be reasonable nor practical.”
Inheritance disputes should be handled by a qualified and experienced probate litigation attorney who can aggressively advocate for your interests. To consult one in Los Angeles, call the Keystone Law Group at (310) 444-9060.
