Anna Nicole Smith's Legal War Continues (Bush Admin Weighs In)

Associated Press ^ | 2-25-06 | Juan A. Lozano

[Tall_Texan]

It's been a long and colorful journey for a girl from a small Texas town.

Anna Nicole Smith went to work in a Houston strip club and wound up as the trophy wife of an aging multimillionaire, setting up an 11-year-long legal war over his estate that now has traveled all the way to the highest court in the land.

The fight over the fortune of oil entrepreneur J. Howard Marshall II between the one-time Playboy Playmate of the Year and Marshall's youngest son, 67-year-old E. Pierce Marshall, goes before the U.S. Supreme Court on Tuesday.

(snip)

Since then, the case has been through a succession of courtrooms, starting with a state probate court jury in Houston, which ruled in 2001 that Marshall did not leave any of his estate to Smith. A federal bankruptcy judge sided with Smith, another federal judge reduced the award and a federal appeals court ruled that federal courts should never have gotten involved.

The Supreme Court will hear arguments Tuesday focused solely on the narrow question of whether federal courts can decide cases involving state probate proceedings. The Bush administration has filed briefs favoring federal court jurisdiction.

[krb]

If you're smart and want your money's worth, $1 at a time.

[krb]

Does it say if she wants the money in one lump-sum, or in two lumps?

[Dr.Zoidberg]

If this picture from 2004 is any indication, she's lost a great deal of weight.



While I still wouldn't touch her with a 10 foot pole, she's no longer a "blimp" as you can plainly see.

[NeoCaveman]

If you're smart and want your money's worth, $1 at a time.

LOL. That's what I was going to say.

[PeskyOne]

Anyone whoever saw the elderly man only had to take one look to know he was senile. She married him for the money, and she shouldn't prosper for being a sordid gold-digger.

[BW2221]

Anna Nicole doesn't look so good when she puts on 50 pounds, which happens frequently.

[Richard Kimball]

And if the lawyers can string this out long enough, they'll be able to systematically transfer all the money into their accounts, eliminating the problem altogether.

[Richard Kimball]

She gave him the best year of her life.

[Tall_Texan]

who knows what result here wiles might work on SCOTUS? LOL!

Are you suggesting Justice Ginsburg might try to hit on her? :P

[Tall_Texan]

Who's the chick next to her? That's more my type.

[Dr.Zoidberg]

No clue, I just found the clip on some fans site.

[A CA Guy]

The reason there should be Federal courts over the state ones at times is exactly a case like this where the local courts were in the pockets of the son.

She did NOT go after him, he went after her and did things with her for years before she married him.

He made his choice to marry her and she deserves the consideration a spouse would normally get.

Problem is, you had a Boss Hog situation here where the courts were dirty, so if the Federal court at times can't overrule state injustice, then lots of people who can't buy a state judge will get screwed regularly.

[Tall_Texan]

Thank you for calling our entire state's legal system corrupt.

You guys can't even hold an execution and you want to rip on *our* courts???

[A CA Guy]

The ones dealing with this case were absolutely dirty, no question.
In any similar other case where logic flys out the window in favor of the local boys, you bet those screwed deserve Federal overseeing.

The old guy went after her for a bunch of years, she did not continually go after him.

She does deserve millions.

If someone got ripped in court by a bias leaning judicial machine for some California person, I would hope they get a remedy as well.

We saw how Florida was corrupt in 2000, so if Texas is doing the same thing in favor of the old guys kids, then there does need to be Federal over-site.

[taxcontrol]

It is my understanding (perhaps incorrect) that California is involved as well. I believe that Smith did not like the ruling and filed in California and got a different settlement or the original filing was in California and the family then filed in Texas. or some such.

In essence, what is needed but has not been established by Congress, is what rules need to be followed as to deciding the preferred state for dealing with these type of probate and other civil issues.

[A CA Guy]

I think she lived in California and that is where she got her 88 million dollar award (i could be wrong on that though).

[dljordan]

"I don't really care for the classless, gold-digging tub of goo but what shocks me is how the Bush administration thinks there is a federal case here"

The Federalists never sleep.

[Dante3]

I agree with you. The man was senile, and she married him just to rip him off. I saw a portion of one of her court appearances, and she was revolting, crude, and vicious - the kind I could see committing murder.

[elkfersupper]

In the final analysis, it's not about personalities, relationships, or anything most of us find important.

It's about taxes.

The beast must be fed.

[Tall_Texan]

The beast must be fed.

Does that make Anna a beastfeeder? ;P