Archives for: May 2006, 01
Supreme Court sides with Anna Nicole
May 1st, 2006In an earlier blog article (February 28, 2006), we discussed the Anna Nicole Smith case which was heard by the U.S. Supreme Court. The case presented an issue of federal jurisdiction vs. state court jurisdiction. A Texas probate court had said that Ms. Smith was not entitled to anything from her late husband J. Howard Marshall's estate. A federal bankruptcy court in California had said that Ms. Smith was entitled to $475 million of Marshall's estate. A California district court later awarded Ms. Smith $88 million in damages, but the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals sided with the Texas courts.
A unanimous decision by the U.S. Supreme Court held that Ms. Smith should be entitled to pursue her claims in federal court. This decision does not end the ongoing legal drama between Ms. Smith and E. Pierce Marshall, J. Howard Marshall's son, as this will likely lead to further litigation in the federal courts.
An analysis of the opinion will be covered in an upcoming blog article.
Ray
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