Anna Nicole Smith $88.5 Million Richer

Former Playboy playmate Anna Nicole Smith was awarded an astounding $88.5 million dollars after a lengthy battle over her late husband’s, J. Howard Marshall II, billion-dollar fortune. U.S. District Judge David Carter ruled in favor of Smith. An 80-page written opinion by the judge was released Thursday. He wrote, "Their lives were intertwined in need, driven by greed and lust. Nevertheless, the court is convinced of his love for her." This ruling overturned a previous ruling, where Smith was awarded the appalling amount of $474 million of Marshall’s estate by a federal bankruptcy judge in September 2000.

Smith, real name Vickie Lynn Marshall, a ninth-grade drop-out, met billionaire J. Howard Marshall II in 1991 while she was a dancer in a Houston strip club. The unlikely couple wed in 1994 when she was 26 and he 89. Marshall passed away 14 months later and his estate was divided between family members, his foundation, and various individuals and charities. Smith was left out in the cold, so she went to court. She has spent the past six years in and out of courtrooms battling Marshall’s son, Pierce Marshall, for the fortune. Marshall’s oldest son, J. Howard Marshall III was also left out of the will.

Philip Boesch, Smith’s attorney, said the ruling was a "complete victory." Boesch told Los Angeles’ City News Service, "She’s happy that a second federal judge has ruled in her favor and found malicious misconduct [by Pierce Marshall]." He also stated that Smith has "gone through six years of litigation hell" and that his client was ready "to get on with her life."