Ah, Anna Nicole. I have such a soft spot for her, in all her boozy, crazy, now-she’s-fat-now-she’s-thin glory. And now she’s won the right to pursue her claim to a share of her late husband’s estate in a California federal court.
The case itself is a pretty esoteric matter of jurisdictional jurisprudence, and Justice Ginsburg’s opinion is a pretty dry analysis of the competing claims and various exceptions to limitations on federal court jurisdiction. But the case has been pretty sensational from the get-go because of the whole narrative: buxom and zaftig blonde topless dancer marries 89-year-old billionaire Texas oilman, becomes Playboy centerfold, becomes widow, throws late husband a bizarre teddy-bear-filled funeral, asserts claim for trust promised to her by husband, gets into probate fight with husband’s son, stars in scary reality show in which she abuses loyal assistant and mugs with lawyer, gains and loses tremendous amounts of weight, shills for TrimSpa, shows up drunk/drugged at awards shows, cries during oral arguments at Supreme Court, causes commotion on courthouse steps during which several photographers get knocked over while jostling each other for shot.
She’s not out of the woods yet; she’s only won the right to pursue her claim. But best of luck, Anna.
Of course, the big shocker for me was learning that J. Howard Marshall III, Anna Nicole/Vickie Lynn’s husband, was a professor of Trusts and Estates at Yale Law School. And yet he left his will in a mess. The hell?
So, zuzu:
I know zip about estates, etc. What do you think her chances are?
I haven’t had a chance to read the opinion closely, but this all boils down to whether J. Howard’s promise to provide for ANS via a “catch-all” trust is enforceable. She’s not seeking, as far as I can tell, an equal share of the estate, just what was left over after the creation of the living trust and a couple of other things for the son. The trust she’s seeking is pretty much everything not specifically named as going to Pierce.
What she did was file bankruptcy in California as well as a claim against Pierce for tortious interference with a gift. He, I believe, filed a counterclaim for defamation.
I don’t recommend estate fights.
Uh… no. Ugly business, that.
Besides Anna, my alter ego is Joy from My Name is Earl. I know she’s fictional, but then really, isn’t Anna Nicole sort of fictional too?
Hey, MDs & RNs are the last in line to see their physicians when something goes wrong. I’m not surprised other professions are just as bad at ignoring their own advice.
I kind of love her too. I shouldn’t, but I love her crazy. Oh ANS.