Judge awards Anna Nicole Smith $88m

A federal judge awarded former Playboy Playmate Anna Nicole Smith more than $88m (around €100m) in damages.

It is the latest ruling in a bitter legal fight over the estate of her late husband, Texas oil tycoon J Howard Marshall II.

US District Court Judge David Carter ruled that one of Marshall's two sons, E Pierce Marshall, had interfered with Smith's attempt to get part of her late husband's oil fortune.

"The evidence of willfulness, maliciousness and fraud is overwhelming," Judge Carter wrote.

He found that Pierce Marshall and others spied on the couple and controlled Smith's access to money to deny Smith the sums she was promised.

Pierce Marshall released a statement saying he would appeal and that his father "would be appalled that the district court continued to ignore his clearly stated wishes".

The ruling came after Pierce Marshall challenged a previous federal bankruptcy court decision that awarded Smith $475m (€540m) of his father's money.

Smith, 33, whose real name is Vickie Lynn Marshall, has fought lengthy court battles in California and Texas over the fortune of her late husband, who died at age 90 in August 1995, 14 months after they wed.

Before his death, his estate went into a trust that divided his fortune among charities, a foundation, Pierce Marshall and other individuals, but gave nothing to Smith or Howard Marshall III. Smith sued Pierce Marshall to get part of it.

"J Howard made numerous promises to Vickie that she would receive half of what he owned," Judge Carter said in his ruling.