Who Inherited J. Howard Marshall's Money? The Long Legal Battle Explained

Bette Bernhard 30 Jul 2025

The question of who inherited J. Howard Marshall's money truly sparked one of the most talked-about legal sagas in recent memory. It's a story that captured public attention, with its mix of immense wealth, family disagreement, and a famous personality. People everywhere, you know, followed the twists and turns of this inheritance fight, which went on for many, many years.

This whole situation, you see, really brought to light what can happen when a person with a lot of property passes away. The meaning of inherit, after all, is to receive from an ancestor as a right or title descendible by law at the ancestor's death. It means getting property or rights from someone who has died, a process that can sometimes get quite complicated, especially with a very large fortune involved.

So, the dispute over J. Howard Marshall II's fortune became a sort of textbook example of how a family can argue over what they believe they are owed. It showed how deeply people feel about what they are supposed to get from their predecessors. This case, in a way, explored the very idea of what it means to be an inheritor, and how legal procedures play a big part in settling such matters.

Biography: J. Howard Marshall II
The Marshall Fortune and the Will
The Central Figures in the Dispute
The Long Court Battle Begins
The Bankruptcy Court Ruling
The Appeals and the Supreme Court
The Final Resolution, or Lack Thereof
FAQ About the Marshall Inheritance

Biography: J. Howard Marshall II

J. Howard Marshall II was, to be honest, a rather remarkable figure in American business. He was a very wealthy oil tycoon and lawyer, known for his shrewd business dealings and his long life. Born in Pennsylvania, he built an incredible fortune over many decades, making a name for himself in the energy world. His personal life, too, became a subject of public interest later on, especially because of his marriage to a much younger woman.

Here is some personal information about J. Howard Marshall II:

Full Name	James Howard Marshall II
Born	January 24, 1905, Germantown, Pennsylvania
Died	August 4, 1995, Houston, Texas
Occupation	Oil Executive, Lawyer, Businessman
Known For	Founder of Marshall Petroleum, extensive wealth, marriage to Anna Nicole Smith
Spouses	Eleanor Pierce Marshall (m. 1931; div. 1961) Bettye Bohannon (m. 1961; div. 1991) Anna Nicole Smith (m. 1994)
Children	J. Howard Marshall III, E. Pierce Marshall

The Marshall Fortune and the Will

When J. Howard Marshall II passed away in August of 1995, he left behind an estate estimated to be worth, honestly, around $1.6 billion. That's a huge sum of money, by the way. He had a will, of course, which typically outlines how a person's property should be given out after their death. In this case, the will stated that nearly all of his wealth was to go to his younger son, E. Pierce Marshall. This decision, as you might guess, set the stage for a very long and public disagreement.

The concept of a will is pretty straightforward: it's a legal paper that says who gets what. But sometimes, like in this situation, people might question if the will really reflects the deceased person's true wishes. This is where the idea of inheriting property, which means receiving it under a will or by succession, gets tricky. The will, in this instance, seemed to leave out some key people, leading to a big fight over who was truly meant to receive from this very rich man.

The Central Figures in the Dispute

The main people involved in this inheritance drama were, you know, J. Howard Marshall II himself, and then his two sons, J. Howard Marshall III and E. Pierce Marshall. But, a really important person in this story was also Anna Nicole Smith, the famous model and personality. She had married J. Howard Marshall II in 1994, just a little over a year before he died. This marriage, by the way, was a huge topic of conversation at the time, given the very big age difference between them.

Anna Nicole Smith claimed that Marshall had promised her a significant part of his fortune, even though she was not named in his will. This claim, obviously, put her directly against Marshall's son, E. Pierce Marshall, who was the primary beneficiary. The other son, J. Howard Marshall III, also felt he was owed a part of the fortune, claiming his father had disinherited him unfairly. So, you had a situation where multiple parties felt they should inherit, or receive, a share of the vast wealth left behind.

The Long Court Battle Begins

The legal fight began almost immediately after Marshall's passing. It started in a probate court in Texas, where the will was presented. But it quickly expanded into other courts, too, because of the different claims being made. Anna Nicole Smith, for instance, filed a lawsuit in California, claiming that E. Pierce Marshall had interfered with her expected inheritance. She argued that she should have received a large amount of money, perhaps even half of the estate, as a gift from her late husband.

This kind of situation, where someone believes they were supposed to inherit something but didn't, is a common reason for legal disputes. The term "inherited" really refers to the transfer of property or rights from preceding generations through legal procedures. So, Anna Nicole Smith was trying to show that, legally speaking, she was meant to receive some of that property. This initial legal move, you see, was just the very beginning of a very, very long and complicated series of court appearances.

The Bankruptcy Court Ruling

A key moment in the early stages of this long legal argument happened in a bankruptcy court in California. Anna Nicole Smith had declared bankruptcy, and as part of those proceedings, she filed a claim against E. Pierce Marshall. She said that he had cheated her out of her rightful inheritance. In 2000, a bankruptcy judge actually sided with Anna Nicole Smith, awarding her a massive sum of money, something like $450 million. This was, honestly, a truly surprising decision at the time.

The judge found that E. Pierce Marshall had indeed interfered with Anna Nicole Smith's ability to inherit from her husband. This ruling meant that, in the court's view, she was supposed to receive money from Marshall's estate. However, E. Pierce Marshall, naturally, strongly disagreed with this decision. He believed that the bankruptcy court had no business making a ruling on his father's estate, which was being handled in Texas. This disagreement, of course, led to even more legal action.

The Appeals and the Supreme Court

The bankruptcy court's decision was, obviously, not the end of the story. E. Pierce Marshall appealed the ruling, taking the case to a federal appeals court. This court, in turn, overturned the bankruptcy court's decision, saying that the federal courts did not have the authority to get involved in a probate matter that was already being handled by a state court in Texas. This was a big win for E. Pierce Marshall, as you can imagine, and a setback for Anna Nicole Smith.

But Anna Nicole Smith did not give up. She took her case all the way to the United States Supreme Court. The Supreme Court heard the case, which was called Marshall v. Marshall, in 2006. The question before the highest court in the land was whether the federal courts had the power to hear a case like this, even if it involved a state probate matter. The Supreme Court, in a way, ruled in her favor on the question of federal jurisdiction, saying that the federal courts could indeed hear such cases. This decision, however, did not mean she had won the money, just that her case could continue in federal court.

This ruling from the Supreme Court, in some respects, opened the door for more legal battles. It meant that the fight over J. Howard Marshall's money, which people were still asking "Who inherited J. Howard Marshall's money?", was far from over. The legal definition of inherit, which is to receive property or rights after someone's death, was still very much at the heart of the dispute, but the question of which court had the final say was also a major point of contention.

After the Supreme Court's decision, the case went back to the appeals court. Then, tragically, both Anna Nicole Smith and E. Pierce Marshall passed away in 2007 and 2006 respectively. This added a whole new layer of sadness and complexity to the long-running dispute. The legal fight then continued between their estates. So, you had the estate of Anna Nicole Smith, represented by her daughter Dannielynn Birkhead, still trying to get money from the estate of E. Pierce Marshall, which was then managed by his family, specifically his son, E. Pierce Marshall Jr.

The legal process, by the way, just kept going, like your favorite TV show that never ends. The appeals court, again, ruled against Anna Nicole Smith's estate. This decision was then appealed once more to the Supreme Court. The Supreme Court, in 2011, sent the case back to the lower courts for further review. It was, honestly, a seemingly endless back-and-forth, with no clear winner for a very long time. The question of who would ultimately inherit J. Howard Marshall's money seemed to hang in the air for years and years.

The Final Resolution, or Lack Thereof

Despite all the court battles, the various rulings, and the Supreme Court's involvement multiple times, Anna Nicole Smith's estate never actually received any money from J. Howard Marshall's fortune. The legal system, you know, ultimately found that there was no basis for her to receive a part of his property. The Texas probate court, which had the initial authority over Marshall's will, consistently upheld the will as it was written, meaning E. Pierce Marshall was the rightful inheritor of the vast majority of the wealth.

The final legal decisions effectively ended the long-running dispute. They confirmed that the inheritance, or the property received from the deceased, would remain with the Marshall family as per the will. This outcome, to be honest, was a big disappointment for Anna Nicole Smith's estate, which had fought so hard for so long. It showed that even with famous people and huge amounts of money, the legal rules about who gets what after someone passes away are quite strict. The whole saga, essentially, became a testament to the enduring power of a properly executed will and the difficulties of challenging one.

For more details on legal inheritance disputes, you might want to check out information on a reputable legal news site, which can offer further insight into such cases. Learn more about inheritance laws on our site, and you can also find out about famous estate battles here.

FAQ About the Marshall Inheritance

Did Anna Nicole Smith ever get Marshall's money?

No, Anna Nicole Smith, or her estate after her passing, never actually received any money from J. Howard Marshall II's fortune. Despite a lengthy legal battle that went all the way to the Supreme Court multiple times, the final rulings upheld Marshall's will, which did not include her as a beneficiary. So, the idea of her inheriting, or receiving, any of that property simply did not come to pass in the end.

Who was J. Howard Marshall II's son?

J. Howard Marshall II had two sons. His older son was J. Howard Marshall III, and his younger son was E. Pierce Marshall. E. Pierce Marshall was the primary person named in his father's will to receive the vast majority of the fortune. This, you know, meant he was the one who was meant to inherit, or get, the most property from his father's estate.

How much was J. Howard Marshall's estate worth?

J. Howard Marshall II's estate was estimated to be worth, you know, around $1.6 billion at the time of his passing in 1995. This very large sum of money was the source of the extensive legal arguments over who would ultimately receive it. It was, to be honest, a truly immense fortune that fueled years of court proceedings.

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