Judge nixes felony case against Anna Nicole Smith boyfriend-lawyer, says it 'reeks of unfairness'
A California judge on Wednesday dismissed two felony conspiracy charges against the boyfriend and lawyer of Anna Nicole Smith, saying that the more than six-year-old case “reeks of unfairness.”
Howard K. Stern was charged in connection with Smith’s 2007 accidental overdose death because of his alleged role in supplying drugs to the Playboy Playmate and reality television show star. However, Judge Robert J. Perry said he doubted Stern would have been charged in the Los Angeles Superior Court case but for Smith’s high profile, the Associated Press reports.
Although Stern was accused of obtaining prescription drugs for Smith under another person’s name, doctors and hospitals prescribed medications for her in this manner to protect her privacy, the judge noted.
It isn’t clear whether the government will appeal the ruling.
In 2010, Stern was tried on multiple charges and acquitted on most, except for the two conspiracy counts, the AP article recounts.
Perry had previously dismissed the conspiracy counts, too. But the California Supreme Court held in November that Stern could be retried and left it to Perry to decide whether to do so. An Associated Press article published at that time provides more details.
Related coverage:
ABAJournal.com: “Judge Nixes Jury’s Drug Convictions of Anna Nicole Smith’s Boyfriend and Lawyer”
ABAJournal.com: “After Appeals Court Nixes Reversed Conviction of Anna Nicole Smith’s Boyfriend-Lawyer, What Next?”
See also:
ABAJournal.com: “Federal judge likens Anna Nicole Smith case to ‘Bleak House,’ says 20 years of litigation is enough”
Forbes: “Court Ruling Likely Ends Anna Nicole Smith Estate’s Fight For Marshall Family Millions”
