The Supreme Court revived former Playboy Playmate Anna Nicole Smith’s pursuit of her late husband’s oil fortune, ruling Monday that the one-time stripper deserves another day in court.
Smith won the votes of all nine justices in her feud over the estate of J. Howard Marshall II, the colorful Texas tycoon who died in 1995 at age 90.
The case has had twists and turns. Smith won a $474 million judgment, which was cut to about $89 million and eventually reduced to zero.
Although Monday’s ruling reinstates her claim, there is no guarantee she will collect any money.
Justices said only that federal courts in California could deal with her case despite a Texas state court ruling that Marshall’s youngest son was the sole heir to the estate.
The ruling gives federal courts more authority to resolve disputes that arise out of estates, although state courts still have sole responsibility to probate a will. The Bush administration had supported that outcome.
This will be an interesting case to follow to the conclusion, with almost $500 million on the line. Many people see Anna Nicole as a golddigger, who just happened to land a dying sugar daddy. However, he did live for a year after their marriage. Personally, I say good for him for nailing a then-hot Anna Nicole.
If she wins the money, will she turn out to be one of the highest paid hookers ever? I know a few folks (female and male) who would have sold their body/life for a year for a shot at $500 million. If presented with the same opportunity, what would you do?
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