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The Anna Nicole Smith estate has been denied the $300 million-plus windfall that she said was promised to her by her late oil-tycoon husband.
The 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in San Francisco made the ruling Friday, according to the Associated Press, the latest development in the 15-year legal battle over J. Howard Marshall's $1.6 billion estate.
The late blonde beauty, who died in 2007, was involed in a legal battle over the will of her billionaire oil tycoon husband when she died. Marshall passed away at age 90 in 1995, a year after Anna Nicole married him. His son E. Pierce Marshall, with whom Anna Nicole was battling in court, died in 2006.
The Marshall family said in a prepared statement, "Our only wish would be that Pierce were here to see his vindication," and an attorney for the family said they hoped the legal fight was over.
An attorney for the Smith estate said he would appeal the latest ruling, but has yet to determine whether to request another appeals court hearing or take the case back the U.S. Supreme Court regarding different issues.
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