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She passed away back in 2007 and today (June 23), the US Supreme Court ruled against Anna Nicole Smith's heirs, bringing an end to their $88-million claim to the estate of her late husband, J. Howard Marshall.
According to breaking reports, a legal battle first began in 1995 when the 89-year-old oil magnate died and Smith, who was 27 years old at the time, discovered that her late husband had left his entire fortune - estimated at $1.6 billion - to his son Pierce Marshall, despite the fact that, according to Smith, J. Howard Marshall had promised to leave her $300 million.
Since then, the case has been scattered over multiple jurisdictions in Louisiana, Texas, California and eventually in 2006 up to the Supreme Court, which allowed Smith the right to try and collect on the inheritance by sending the case back to the courts.
During that time, Pierce Marshall died and his heirs took up the judicial battle.
A bankruptcy court in California had decided in favor of Smith, but a Texas state court ruled that J. Howard Marshall was mentally capable when he left his estate to his son and therefore his will was valid.
In a five-to-four decision, the court ruled that Marshall’s descendants and now the Marshall estate does not owe Smith’s heirs one cent.
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