Anna Nicole Smith’s Daughter Wins Sanctions, Could Get $49 Million

Anna Nicole Smith’s daughter Dannielynn Birkhead could soon be a few million dollars richer.

The NY Post reports that Anna Nicole Smith’s estate has been fighting for its share of J. Howard Marshall’s fortune. Marshall, Smith’s former husband, has a fortune of more than $1.6 billion but when he died in 1995 at the age of 90 he didn’t leave anything to his young Playboy model wife.

The nearly two decade legal battle over the estate was seemingly closed last year when the Supreme Court ordered that Anna Nicole Smith was not entitled to any of Marshall’s money. Nicole Smith’s daughter, however, could be entitled to about $49 million.

US District Judge David O. Carter ruled this week that Marshall’s son Pierce used several dubious tactics during the legal proceedings and that he would have to “pay sanctions” to Smith’s estate.

O. Carter writes: “Pierce’s bad faith conduct was too pervasive and too egregious to be ignored, despite the fact that he has since passed away. It would promote disrespect for the authority of the federal courts to turn a blind eye to actions that so willfully and blatantly attempted to make a mockery of this justice system. Further, it would reward a party for win-at-all-costs tactics, to the deprivation of his opponent. Such behavior cannot be condoned.”

Carter didn’t write how much Anna Nicole Smith’s daughter would be awarded but back in 2012 he suggested that Dannielynn Birkhead was owed about $49 million.

Phil Boesch, lawyer of Smith’s estate, told Forbes: “This is a complete vindication of Anna Nicole’s rights, and a total condemnation of what was done to her … We are confident that the amount Anna’s estate and daughter Dannielynn will finally be awarded will be fair and substantial.”