E . Pierce Marshall Everett Pierce Marshall ( January 12 , 1939 – June 20 , 2006 ) was an American businessman and a son of J . Howard Marshall II . According to a " Dallas Morning News " article , he was a very private man , but became known due to defending the long - running legal dispute from his father ' s third wife , Anna Nicole Smith . Marshall attended Millersburg Military Institute , Culver Military Academy , Webb School and received his undergraduate degree from Pomona College in 1961 . He began his career at General Motors as an engine test engineer , followed by a brief tour with the United States Navy . After leaving the Navy , Marshall worked for the New York investment banking firm of Loeb , Rhoades & Co . He used this experience later when he entered the securities brokerage business in the 1980s . Beginning in 1969 , Marshall moved to Houston , Texas to manage various investment projects with his father , including various roles at Koch Industries , International Oil & Gas and Marshall Petroleum . While continuing to work with his father he also worked with his father - in - law . In 1981 , after his father - in - law ' s death , he was elected Chairman of the Electron Corporation ( an iron foundry concern ) . Later , he was appointed President of Electron and led the company through a successful turnaround , saving over 300 jobs in Colorado and Oklahoma . When his father ' s health began to deteriorate in 1993 , he ceased his securities brokerage business , delegated his responsibilities at Electron and assumed operational responsibilities at Marshall Petroleum . J . Howard died in 1995 , leaving Pierce the bulk of the family fortune . In 2001 , a jury in Texas upheld the estate and rejected all claims against him . However , Smith ' s legal dispute with Pierce in federal court yielded decisions both for him and against him . The issue of the probate exception reached the U . S . Supreme Court , which ruled in favor of Smith ( " Marshall v . Marshall " ) . The federal case has been remanded to the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals to adjudicate appellate issues not previously reached . On June 25 , 2009 the same three - judge panel of the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals heard oral arguments on the remaining appellate issues in the case and submitted the case for consideration and final adjudication . On March 19 , 2010 the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals issued its opinion on remand , finding in favor of E . Pierce Marshall and that the California Bankruptcy Court was entirely without jurisdiction and the California Federal District Court was precluded from reviewing matters already decided in the Texas Probate Court . On June 23 , 2011 , the United States Supreme court decided the case in a 5 - 4 decision ( now styled " Stern v . Marshall " 10 - 179 ) . The majority of the Court decided Congress cannot constitutionally authorize non - Article III bankruptcy judges to enter final judgments on state law based counterclaims to proofs of claim which are not necessary to resolve the claim itself . In 2005 , Forbes magazine estimated his fortune at $ 1 . 7 billion , a valuation he rejected . Marshall was one of four voting shareholders of Koch Industries when he died of a brief but aggressive infection on June 20 , 2006 , at age 67 . In a February 9 , 2007 interview with Fox News Channel ' s John Gibson , Rusty Hardin , the family ' s attorney , said that the family would wait until Smith ' s immediate affairs in the wake of her sudden death are disclosed before discussing the status of litigation . A motorsports enthusiast , Marshall competed in the last running of the Cannonball Baker Sea - To - Shining - Sea Memorial Trophy Dash , better known as the Cannonball Run , in April , 1979 . Teamed with SCCA racers Dave Faust and Kirby Goodman , Marshall drove a Chevrolet Malibu with the 9C1 Police Patrol Package and a 350 cubic inch LT - 1 Z - 28 Chevrolet Camaro engine , finishing 13th in a field of 47 competitors , completing the run from Darien , Connecticut to Redondo Beach , California in 36 hours , 51 minutes . Marshall wrote , " Over two decades later , the laughs and the memories are still fresh . I was fortunate to be involved " . In 2012 , Bloomberg discovered that Marshall ' s widow ( Elaine Tettemer Marshall ) is the 4th richest woman in the United States with an estimated net worth of $ 12 . 7 billion .