Overruled

Anna Nicole's Estate Shut Out

Court leaves billionaire's money to his son.

Fifteen years after the legal battle first began and with both major parties deceased, a federal court has ruled against Anna Nicole Smith, determining that her oil tycoon husband J. Howard Marshall had no intention of leaving her any of his $1.6 billion fortune and instead planned on leaving his estate to his son, E. Pierce Marshall. "Our only wish would be that Pierce were here to see his vindication,” said a statement from Marshall’s family. E. Pierce Marshall passed away in 2006, followed by Smith’s overdose in 2007, but the legal drama has continued as Larry Birkhead seeks support for their daughter, Dannielynn. The decision will likely be appealed again to the Supreme Court and a lawyer for Smith’s estate said, “It really is a unique decision. We have to take it farther.”