Despite the tabloid stories that continue to surface describing the troubled life of the former Playboy model, it's the legal matters involved in a fight Smith initiated almost 15 years ago that should make the American public sit up and take notice. The glaring legal problem in Stern v. Marshall is the blatantly manipulative manner by which Smith's lawyer and lover, Howard K. Stern, and her team of lawyers moved an estate case from a Texas probate court to a California bankruptcy court in search of a more favorable venue. Stemming from that overarching problem, a more technical matter is the question that nine Supreme Court justices will soon decide after oral arguments on Jan. 18 - the issue of what is "core" and "non-core" (or relevant and irrelevant) to a bankruptcy filing.
Friday, January 21, 2011 at 10:22AM 
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