Attorney, 2 Others Face Trial in Drug Case Concerning Anna Nicole Smith
Celebrity Anna Nicole Smith’s former boyfriend and lawyer, Howard K. Stern, 40, will face trial on felony drug charges along with a psychiatrist and a physician for the onetime Playboy model, a California judge ruled today at the conclusion of a several-week evidentiary hearing.
The three are accused by prosecutors of supplying a steady stream of prescription drugs to Smith, who died of an accidental overdose two years ago at age 39. Stern is named in 11 counts in the Los Angeles Superior Court case, which includes charges of conspiracy; fraud; and obtaining a prescription by deceit, reports People.
All three have pleaded not guilty.
Smith was known as a Playboy model, television personality and the young wife of an elderly Texas oil billionaire she reportedly met at a Houston strip club. After his death in 1995, an inheritance dispute, which is still ongoing, helped keep a number of courts, including the U.S. Supreme Court, busy.
Additional and related coverage:
ABAJournal.com: “New Charges for Lawyer-Boyfriend in Drug Case re Anna Nicole Smith’s Death”
ABAJournal.com: “Anna Nicole Smith Baby Inherits Unknown Amount”
Associated Press: “Testimony depicts final days of Anna Nicole Smith”
L.A. Now (Los Angeles Times): “Anna Nicole Smith’s doctors, boyfriend ordered to stand trial in drug case”
Reuters: “Judge Orders Trial In Anna Nicole Smith’s Death “
