Court: Anna Nicole Smith gets none of oil fortune
Paul EliasA federal appeals court says Anna Nicole Smith's estate will receive none of the more than $300 million that she claimed her late billionaire husband had promised her.
The 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals is the latest stop in the 15-year legal battle over the $1.6 billion estate that oil magnate J. Howard Marshall left after his 1995 death at age 90. Smith had married Marshall the previous year.
The appeals court ruled Friday that a Texas jury's 2001 verdict should be honored because it had heard from all parties during the five-month trial. The jury ruled in favor of Marshall's son, E. Pierce Marshall.
The appeals court says subsequent federal court decisions that granted Smith various parts of Marshall's fortune should be ignored.
THIS IS A BREAKING NEWS UPDATE. Check back soon for further information. AP's earlier story is below.
SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — A federal appeals court says Anna Nicole Smith's estate will receive none of the more than $300 million that she claimed her late billionaire husband had promised her.
The 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals is the latest stop in the 15-year legal battle over the $1.6 billion estate that oil magnate J. Howard Marshall left after his 1995 death at age 90.
Smith had married Marshall the previous year and argued that he meant to leave her more than $300 million.
A Texas state court ruled against Smith and in favor of Marshall's son, who argued the model should receive nothing.
A federal bankruptcy court in Los Angeles later awarded her $474 million. A federal trial court later reduced that to $89 million.
Lawyers for the son's estate say they hope the litigation is at an end with Friday's ruling.