CELEBTV.COM EXCLUSIVE: STERN FILES CLAIM AGAINST ANNA NICOLE’S ESTATE October 22, 2007
Court documents first obtained by CelebTV.com show that Anna Nicole Smith’s former companion and lawyer, Howard K. Stern, has filed a claim against the former Playboy Playmate’s estate.
Stern, the executor of Smith’s estate, filed papers in Los Angeles Superior Court on Oct. 18, apparently to protect a prior agreement with the late actress.
The new court papers obtained by CelebTV.com specify Stern is seeking 6% of any money the estate gets from Smith’s late oil-tycoon husband, J. Howard Marshall II’s, estate.
“A contingent fee agreement on file with the Bankruptcy Court and incorporated by this reference pertaining to the Marshall litigation, payment of which is conditioned upon recovery in the Marshall litigation, and the amount will be six percent (6%) of the Estate’s net recovery, if any,” the papers read.
Anna Nicole Smith was married to the late J. Howard Marshall II for 13 months, from 1994 until his death in 1995. The actress died in February.
http://www.celebtv.com/Headlines.aspx?NewsGuid=f56ecf50-bed3-40d3-a30a-fce3be68d195
that’s 6percent for rale/stern, and an undisclosed percentage for the attorneys who are actually doing the work on the case, now 10 years old. (guessing 40% contingency?) Even with a ‘win’ I doubt DL would get much of anything after the lawyers feed themselves first. IMO
” ... The new court papers obtained by CelebTV.com specify Stern is seeking 6% of any money the estate gets from Smith’s late oil-tycoon husband, J. Howard Marshall II’s, estate.
“A contingent fee agreement on file with the Bankruptcy Court and incorporated by this reference pertaining to the Marshall litigation, payment of which is conditioned upon recovery in the Marshall litigation, and the amount will be six percent (6%) of the Estate’s net recovery, if any,” the papers read. ...”
Let’s see here. Trying to figure out compound lies here to arrive at a semblance of truth, lol.
OK, if he is no longer part of the original law firm retained by Ms Marshall, HKS will have to settle with them. If it was always “Law Offices of HKS” who was retained by Ms Marshall, then that’s all his, except for any employees or clerks or investigators or hired help he had who haven’t been paid.
THEN, that should only be up until 1999, when he *claims* he began his *intimate relationship* with Ms Marshall, whether she was aware of it or not. At that point, he was in violation of his ethical guidelines as an officer of the court, so the agreement should have been voided or could be actionable by Ms Marshall if she were alive, or by her current heir(s) - that would be Dannielynn.
THEN, there is the matter of long-standing practice that Ms Marshall had been advised by her so-called attorney not to pay the bills of other attorneys that followed after him - with the possible exception of Rale and maybe Neavitt. Would love to know their past billings to Ms Marshall and payment (or not) of same.
However, since I don’t believe there ever will BE a settlement in the Marshall v Marshall case, it’s all moot. And I’m laughing at this claim.