You’d think that the rich and famous would actually put a little more thought into things like wills, taxes and probate. Or at least hire someone to think about it. But not our Anna.
Let’s take her will for starters. I can’t even imagine why, when the possibility exists that Anna was worth millions, the will was as poorly drafted as it appears to be. It specifically excluded any afterborn children – which would make sense if she planned not to have any. But it was popular knowledge that she wanted another child – and it was clearly tabloid fodder when she became pregnant. She had months to get her affairs in order, but she didn’t.
But then, maybe she was intimidated by lawyers. Maybe she didn’t have access to a lawyer. Oh wait, she was “married” to one…
And that lawyer, not-really-her-husband, Howard Stern, has applied in Los Angeles Superior Court to be special administrator of Anna Nicole’s estate “to immediately marshal and preserve the assets of the estate.” If approved, Stern would be charged with sorting out Smith’s assets, debts and taxes. Stern was named as the First Executor under the terms of Anna’s will.
Stern hopes to begin administering Anna’s millions. Or million. Or less than a million.
Stern’s petition values Smith’s home at $1.8 million and lists her personal property in the amount of $10,000 – seem low to anyone else, considering her penchant for expensive jewelry? Smith still owed $1.1 million in mortgage debt on the property, reducing her total assets to less than $1 million.
However, there is the potential for many millions more, pending the outcome of the ongoing battle with the Marshall family. Anna’s former husband died in 1995 and did not leave her the hundreds of millions that she claims he promised her. The struggle for control over that money made it all of the way to the Supreme Court, where the Court ruled solely on choice of venue/jurisdiction in favor of Anna, sending the case back to court in California. If her estate is successful, Anna’s sole heir, Dannielynn stands to inherit all of Anna’s estate (less debts, taxes, legal fees – and oh yea, that Executor’s commission which Stern denies he will accept).
A probate hearing has been scheduled for June 19.
