Anna Nicole Smith's Estate Solicits Supreme Court Action

Anna Nicole Smith's estate sought help from the Supreme Court today in a financial dispute with the late reality television star's dead husband and his deceased son, reported the Associated Press.

At 26, Smith married 89-year-old oil tycoon J. Howard Marshall II in 1994, who died one year later. A federal judge awarded Smith an $88.5 million judgment, despite a fierce legal battle waged by Marshall's son, E. Pierce Marshall, who claimed he was the sole heir to his father's estate.

The 9th Circuit held up the award while the appeal was pending. In May 2006, the Supreme Court ruled that Smith could go after the money in federal court. Smith's lawyers allege that days later, E. Pierce Marshall "apparently stripped himself of nearly all his assets — valued in the billions of dollars — and transferred them out of his possession."

E. Pierce Marshall died in June 2006, but the appeals court has not lifted its hold on the award. Smith died of an accidental drug overdose in 2007 at the age of 39. Smith's lawyers argue in court papers to the Supreme Court that Marshall's estate is worth slightly more than $125 million, with most owed to the Internal Revenue Service.

Her lawyers said that her "estate will undeniably suffer irreparable harm if the stay is not vacated, as Pierce's executor claims there is no money to pay the district court judgment, and [Smith's] estate cannot pursue Pierce's missing billions unless and until the stay is vacated."