As I have previously discussed, after a jury found Howard K. Stern, the partner and attorney of Anna Nicole Smith, guilty of two counts of conspiracy, a trial court judge dismissed the convictions as baseless. Now, a California Court of Appeals has reinstated Stern’s conviction and remanded the case to the judge to determine Stern’s prison sentence. Even with this ruling, the end is still uncertain and there are several options that the judge could take. For example, the judge could give Stern time in prison or probation. In addition, the judge could reduce the charges levied against Stern or even dismiss the case, assuming that the judge has a different legal ground that could warrant dismissal.
See TMZ Staff, Anna Nicole Smith case: Howard K. Stern Acquittal Overturned, TMZ.com, Oct. 18, 2012.
Special thanks to Jim Hillhouse (Professional Legal Marketing (PLM, Inc.)) for bringing this article to my attention.
