The ever-evolving drama that is the life of deathbed billionaire-marrying Anna Nicole Smith -- former exotic dancer, model, 1993 Playmate of the Year, cow, reality TV star, diet pill pitchwoman -- shows no signs of abating.
Today the Supreme Court ruled that Ms. Smith, 38, has legal footing in her battle to win a portion of her late husband's $1.6 billion estate - the justices said that the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals was wrong in ruling that federal courts could not handle Smith's case.
In what has to be one of the tawdriest legal battles argued before the highest court in the land, the Supremes did Family Feud Anna Nicole-style back in late February when they heard her case, which rested on the narrow issue of whether a federal court could intervene in a state probate case.
Smith, dressed in demure mourning black, wept in the courtroom as justices spiritedly discussed the late billionaire, J. Howard Marshall II, and whether he had intended to provide for his young wife in death. When Smith arrived at the court, several photographers were kno
cked to the ground in a scuffle to photograph her.
Smith has been battling her former "stepson" Pierce Marshall since almost before the body in question was even cold. The case is legendary for the immense greed on all sides and the overall ickiness of a then 26-year old Playmate providing comforts to a fading octag
enarian. Marshall was 89 when he made Smith an honest woman in '94, and 90 when he passed away in '95.
Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg's opinion includes a hint of the nastiness of the case, referring to accusations that Pierce Marshall "engaged in forgery, fraud, and overreaching to gain control of his father's assets"; and, on the othe
r side, that Smith had "defamed" her former stepson.
Only in America can a woman like Anna Nicole Smith gain fame and fortune despite having no discernible skills, talents or abilities. She has parlayed her vacuous blonde stupidity and huge set of cans into the plushest of lifestyles.
You go for those millions, Anna Nicole - you've earned them.
Article comments
— go to most recent comments1 - sal m
the great and mighty dawn wrote:
"Only in America can a woman like Anna Nicole Smith gain fame and fortune despite having no discernible skills, talents or abilities. She has parlayed her vacuous blonde stupidity and huge set of cans into the plushest of lifestyles."
that's what hollywood is all about. she's no worse than JLo or some of the other talent-less wonders. plus if ANS got anywhere near Marshall's diaper-enclosed nether region she deserves everything that she can get.
2 - Mark Saleski
glad i read that comment after lunch.
icky.
3 - Eric Olsen
it is too grim to ponder - she's had her eyes on the prize for 12 years now - the woman is determined
4 - Mark Saleski
i've heard people mention how "hot" she looks now. i dunno, i can't get past the little bits of her show that i saw. she acted like elvis presley's drug-addled female alter-ego. gross.
5 - Matthew T. Sussman
"Which rich person deserves a large amount of money?" A nation holds its breath.
6 - Dawn
Eric, how come you cut out your story where you gave her the bovine greeting during your phone interview with her?
False modesty doesn't become you.
7 - Eric Olsen
it didn't really fit under the circumstances.
When I was a DJ on The End in Cleveland in the mid-'90s I did a live on-air phone interview with Anna Nicole from some kind of event -- I think a big record chain opening -- and she was starting to bloat up at the time. I had a hard time hearing her over the crowd noise at one point and said something about it sounding like she was in a herd. Then for some reason I mooed - I almost got fired.
8 - Matthew T. Sussman
You know it's a great story involving radio when you end the anecdote with: "Then for some reason I mooed"
9 - Eric Olsen
hee! thanks
10 - Chris Olsen
Great story Dawn. I think Anna Nicole Smith was probably the ill-faited Io in a past life. She too was once a beautiful women turned into a heifer.
11 - Eric Olsen
hilarious Chris! How are you doing?
12 - Dawn
Awww, thanks Chris. Your dad helped clean it up a lot though!
PS. we miss you!
13 - RedTard
I find this story completely fascinating. She got seemingly outsmarted by an old Yale lawyer, Mr Marshall who got her in the sack and left her with nothing.
They laughed her out of Texas and Louisiana courts but she managed to find refuge in the good old liberal California system and the battle still rages to this day. Now she's using some backdoor bankruptcy filing to try and score $88 million and according to the ultimate authority it's all legal. Perhaps she's smarter than we give her credit for, certainly her lawyers are.
14 - Michael J. West
I have to agree that Anna Nicole earned the millions. If nothing else, the fact that a 26-year-old supermodel was willing to do sexual favors for a sick 89-year-old should be grounds for at least fifty million.
15 - Matthew T. Sussman
MJW, I think it's safe to say we'll all go geezer gay for a price tag that high.
...what? Did I hit publish on that?
16 - Eric Olsen
at least he had death with dignity (note wedding pic above)
17 - Matthew T. Sussman
Aw, God! Is that what killed him?
18 - Eric Olsen
with a slight delay
19 - Chris Olsen
Pretty good, I miss you too
20 - sal m
i think she was trying to shove the wedding cake down his oxygen tube...i think csi needs to do some photo analysis. that might be the break that the marshall estate needs.
but really, how did they ever meet??? what kind of care-takers did the marshall estate have on the payroll?
was it like the movie disorderlies where the rap group the fat boys - with the human beat box - were taking care of the old man? did they wheel mr marshall into some topless bar where he and ANS hooked up as they were changing his diaper and/or texas catheter?
21 - Amita
I love how all these smart folks focus on Anna Nicole's having been plus size as a cause for derision when she clearly has provided so much more entertaining reasons to discredit her.
And Eric, moo-ing at a plus-size woman. What class.
22 - sal m
The Defender of Women Who Have Been Mooed At Wrote:
"And Eric, moo-ing at a plus-size woman. What class."
In many cultures mooing at a plus-woman is considered a compliment of the highest order, and is a sign of respect and admiration, so don't be so tough on Eric.
Plus-sized is a great euphemism, isn't it? Although i'm partial to "full-figured gal."
23 - RogerMDillon
Have to agree with Amita on this one. In other cultures, attacking someone because of their appearance is petty, immature and speaks to the person's own perceived short-comings.
Seeing it here makes me long for discussions with Anthony Grande. At least he had the excuse of being seventeen and still in high school.
24 - Eric Olsen
at the time I had the excuse of being 37 and a high school graduate.
The point isn't that she grew large: the point is that she was a Playmate of the Year whose entire rationale for being in the public eye was her appearance, and she couldn't be bothered to maintain it.
I feel much more kindly toward her now
25 - NR Davis
"Big-boned" works for me. But seriously, isn't the weight a past issue for her now? Wasn't she the "TrimSpa, baby" spokesmodel?
And does anyone consider that perhaps ANS loved the old guy?