This is from Wikipedia' so the validity of this is questionable: Within weeks of J. Howard Marshall's death, Smith squared off against his son, E. Pierce Marshall, for half of her late husband's $1.6 billion estate. She joined forces with J. Howard's other son, James Howard Marshall III, whom the elder Howard had disowned. Howard III claimed J. Howard orally promised him a portion of his estate; like Smith, Howard III was also left out of J. Howard's will, which he updated weeks after their marriage. The case has gone on for more than a decade, producing a highly publicized court battle in Texas and several judicial decisions that have gone both for and against Smith in that time.
In 1996, Smith filed for bankruptcy in California as a result of a $850,000 judgment against her in a legal action unrelated to the Marshall estate. As any money potentially due her from the Marshall estate was part of her potential assets, the bankruptcy court involved itself in the matter.
Smith claimed J. Howard orally promised her half of his estate if she married him. In September 2000, a Los Angeles bankruptcy judge awarded her $449,754,134. In July 2001, Houston judge Mike Wood affirmed the jury findings in the probate case by ruling that Smith was entitled to nothing and ordered Smith to pay over $1 million in fees and expenses to Pierce's legal team. The conflict between the Texas probate court and California bankruptcy court judgments forced the matter into federal court.
In March 2002, a federal judge vacated the California bankruptcy court's ruling and issued a new ruling but reduced the award to $88 million. In December 2004, a three-judge panel of the U.S. 9th Circuit Court of Appeals reversed the March 2002 decision, affirming the Texas Probate jury findings that no misconduct had occurred, Smith was not one of J. Howard Marshall's heirs and that the federal courts lacked jurisdiction to overrule the probate decisions of a Texas state court.
The U.S. Supreme Court decided in September 2005 to hear the appeal of that decision. The Bush administration subsequently directed the Solicitor General to intercede on Smith's behalf out of an interest to expand federal court jurisdiction over state probate disputes.
After months of waiting, Smith and her stepson Pierce learned of the Supreme Court's decision on May 1, 2006. The justices unanimously decided in favor of Smith; Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg wrote the majority opinion. (See Marshall v. Marshall)The decision did not give Smith a portion of her husband's estate, but affirmed her right to pursue a share of it in federal court.
On June 20, 2006, E. Pierce Marshall died at age 67 after an infection. His widow, Elaine T. Marshall, now represents his estate.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anna_Nicole_Smith E. Pierce Marshall (January 12, 1939 – June 20, 2006) was an American businessman and a son of J. Howard Marshall II. According to a Dallas Morning News article, he was a very private man who disliked publicity but became publicly known due to defending the long-running legal dispute from his father's third wife, Anna Nicole Smith.<1>
Marshall attended Millersburg Military Institute, Culver Military Academy, Webb School and received his undergraduate education from Pomona College in 1961. He began his career at General Motors as an engine test engineer, followed by a brief tour with the U.S. Navy. After leaving the Navy, Marshall worked for the New York investment banking firm of Loeb Rhodes. He used this experience later when he entered the securities brokerage business in the 1980s.
Beginning in 1969, Marshall moved to Houston to manage various investment projects with his father, including various roles at Koch Industries, International Oil&Gas and Marshall Petroleum. While continuing to work with his father he also worked with his father-in-law. In 1981, after his father-in-law's passing, he was elected Chairman of the Electron Corporation (an iron foundry concern). Later, he was appointed President of Electron and led the company through a successful turnaround, saving over 300 jobs in Colorado and Oklahoma. When his father's health began to deteriorate in 1993, he ceased his securities brokerage business, delegated his responsibilities at Electron and assumed operational responsibilities at Marshall Petroleum.
His father died in 1995, leaving him the bulk of the family fortune. Much of the estate has been tied up in state and federal courts as his brother and his father's widow sought to overturn the will and trust.
In 2001, a jury in Texas upheld the estate and rejected all claims against him. However, Smith's legal dispute with him in federal court yielded decisions both for him and against him. The issue of the probate exception reached the U.S. Supreme Court, which ruled in favor of Smith (Marshall v. Marshall). The federal case has been remanded to the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals to adjudicate appellate issues not previously reached.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/E._Pierce_Marshall :kick:
Printer-friendly format
Email this thread to a friend
Bookmark this thread
(1000+ posts)
Send PM |
Profile |
Ignore
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/J._Howard_Marshall 
