Washington: The Supreme Court ruled that one-time stripper and Playboy magazine Playmate Anna Nicole Smith could pursue part of her late husband's oil fortune on Monday.
Justices gave new legal impetus to Smith's bid to collect millions of dollars from the estate of J. Howard Marshall II. Her late husband's estate has been estimated at as much as $1.6 billion. Smith has been embroiled in a long running cross-country court fight with Marshall's youngest son, E. Pierce Marshall.
The court's decision, which was unanimous, means that it will not end anytime soon. Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg, writing for the court, said Smith should have a fresh chance to pursue claims in federal court.
Smith's case had brought unusual drama to the normally sedate high court.
Dressed in all black, the former stripper wept in the courtroom in late February as justices discussed Marshall and whether he had intended to provide for her in death. When she arrived at the court, several photographers were knocked to the ground in a scuffle to photograph her.
She was a 26-year-old topless dancer when she married Marshall, then 89, in 1994. He died the following year, setting off an intense family fight. At issue in the legal battle was competing court jurisdiction. A Texas court held a five-month trial before deciding that Smith was entitled to nothing from Marshall's estate. Smith brought a separate claim in federal court in California.
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