Anna Nicole Smith Wins Chance to Chase Millions  5/1/06

The US Supreme Court today (01MAY06) awarded Anna Nicole Smith the right to continue her legal battle in pursuit of her late oil tycoon husband's millions.

The former Playmate married billionaire J Howard Marshall in 1994 when she was aged 26 and he 89, but his 1996 death triggered a decade-long legal battle between Smith and her stepson E Pierce Marshall.

Pierce Marshall disputed Smith's claims her husband had intended to bequeath half his estate to her, insisting the $6 million worth of gifts she accumulated during the 14-month marriage was all she was entitled too.

However, the Supreme Court's Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg insisted the recent ruling in the appeals court, which entitled Smith to nothing, was wrong. The decision means legal warfare between the pair will continue for some time.

And Pierce Marshall has issued a warning to the one-time stripper: "(I'll) continue to fight to clear my name in California federal court. That is a promise that (Smith) and her lawyers can take to the bank."