Peck Ritchey, LLC > Elder Law Blog > Probate > Anna Nicole Smith’s family failed in its final bid for inheritance

On Monday, August 18, a federal judge ended nearly two decades of legal limbo between the estates of late Playboy model Anna Nicole Smith and her late Texas billionaire husband J. Howard Marshall II by ruling against the Smith estate’s final move to collect $44 million in sanctions from Marshall’s fortune.

According to U.S. District Court Judge David Carter, J. Howard Marshall’s son and executor of his estate Pierce Marshall and his legal team displayed “a distinct disinterest in rules or ethics” during the 19-year legal process. However, lawyers of Smith’s family failed to substantiate actual damages brought about by the behavior, which led the judge not to award sanctions.

Fourteen months after Marshall and Smith’s wedding in 1994, the oil tycoon died and left his entire estate to his son. Smith contested that her deceased husband promised to leave her $300 million, prompting a long legal strife that continued even after Smith’s death in 2007 and Pierce Marshall’s death in 2006.

Don’t let your battle over inheritance drag on like this. If you are trying to contest an estate or facing any probate issues in Chicago, a lawyer at Peck Ritchey, LLC, might be able to help you. Call us at (855)328-5787 and tell us your situation.

Categories: Probate

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