Anna Nicole Smith Fortune Worthless After Marshall Court Ruling

By: Tina Hodges
03/20/2010 07:08 AM ET

Anna Nicole Smith fortune is now worth zero. After all the fuss and years of litigation, a San Francisco court ruled that her estate will get nothing from her late husband J. Howard Marshall. The former reality TV star had said Marshall promised her $300 million from his estate.

Smith met the oil tycoon at a strip club and was married to him for a little over a year before he died at age 90. She had been fighting his family over the estate since 1995. Friday’s ruling was made by the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals.

The lower courts backed her claim to part of his estate. In fact, a federal bankruptcy court in Los Angeles awarded her $474 million and another decision reduced that to $89 million. However, she lost that in a 2004 appeal.

Dannielynn Hope, the daughter Smith had in 2006, is heir to her estate. She is being raised by Larry Birkhead, who was declared her father after a paternity case was resolved through the courts. She died in 2007.

Model For Clothing, Reality Television Personality, $300 Million Oil Tycoon Estate

Anna Nicole Smith’s real name was Vickie Lynn Marshall. She was a model and reality television personality. She first gained popularity in magazines and modeling for clothing companies including Guess jeans and Lane Bryant.

She also starred in her own reality TV show, “The Anna Nicole Show.” She was born and raised in Texas and later dropped out of high school to marry at age 17. She then marriage oil business executive tycoon J. Howard Marshall. He was 63 years her senior.

Oil Business Executive Tycoon J. Howard Marshall

She met elderly oil tycoon J. Howard Marshall at a Houston strip club in October 1991. During their two-year relationship, he reportedly lavished her with gifts and asked for her hand in marriage. The copule married on June 27, 1994.

The marriage to Marshall resulted in speculation that she was in it for his money. It was a speculation that she denied repeatedly. However, she began a lengthy legal battle over a share of his estate after he died.

Odd Behavior

In November 2004, she appeared at the American Music Awards to introduce a performance and attracted attention because of her slurred speech and behavior. During her live appearance, she threw her arms up and exclaimed, “Like my body?”, she then mumbled and slurred other comments. The incident became comic material for presenters throughout the rest of the program.

The appearance was featured in the media. Tabloids speculated that Smith was under the influence of pills or some other controlled substance. Her representatives explained that she was in pain due to a series of grueling workouts.

Smith’s 20-year-old son, Daniel, died on September 10, 2006 in his mother’s hospital room while visiting her and his newborn sister. After the coroner labeled the death “reserved,” she hired forensic pathologist Cyril Wecht to perform a second autopsy. His death certificate was issued on September 21, 2006, so that he could be buried.

Smith died on February 8, 2007, at age 39, from an overdose of prescription drugs. She was the focus of renewed press coverage surrounding the death of her son in the months before her death. The reality TV star was also in a paternity and custody battle over her daughter Dannielynn.

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