Daniel Smith Inquest in Bahamas on Hold
Friday, March 30, 2007; 8:33 AM
NASSAU, Bahamas -- An inquest into the death of Anna Nicole Smith's 20-year-old son was put on hold Thursday pending a legal challenge filed by Howard K. Stern, the lawyer-turned-partner of the former Playboy Playmate.
A judge in the Bahamian Coroner's Court had picked a seven-member jury and was preparing to call witnesses when Stern's lawyers persuaded him to halt the proceedings until the island's Supreme Court could rule on a motion to submit a questionnaire to potential jurors to gauge any bias.
Stern attorney Wayne Munroe argued it would be "reckless" to continue the inquest before the Supreme Court had ruled on the issue.
No date has been set for a Supreme Court hearing on the issue and it was unclear when the inquest would resume, though jurors were instructed to return to court on April 11.
"I'm very disappointed with the delay tactics they are using," Virgie Arthur, Anna Nicole Smith's mother, told reporters as she left the court. "But I'll be here every day. I'll be here until the end."

Reader Comments