Howard K. Stern's Lawyer Expects Client To "Ultimately Be Exonerated"
I thought 2007 was behind us? Ugh, so sad to dredge all this Anna Nicole Smith stuff up again, but justice must be served.
Howard K. Stern has been charged with conspiracy - Attorney General Jerry Brown called him "the principal enabler" - in connection with the ongoing investigation regarding Anna's drug-related death. Now one of Stern's lawyers, Krista Barth, has released the following statement:
- "For over two years, I have represented Howard K. Stern in connection with civil litigation arising out his relationship with Anna Nicole Smith and false accusations published about him, including representing Mr. Stern in the body custody proceedings. In the course of that litigation, I have spent hundreds of hours reviewing depositions under oath or interviews of almost every principal witness claiming to possess first hand knowledge of Mr. Stern's relationship with Anna Nicole [Smith]. His accusers have been shown to have no credibility due to their conflicting stories, to have a bias based on their own personal agendas or to have no factual basis to support their accusations. Given the knowledge obtained from these various cases, I am confident that the criminal charges brought against Mr. Stern last evening by the State of California will likewise be shown to have no factual basis and that Mr. Stern will ultimately be exonerated with respect to his conduct.
I would remind the public that the fundamental principle of our criminal justice system is that an individual is presumed innocent. Publicity efforts by the State of California last night and today in connection with the filing of the charges against Mr. Stern are inconsistent with that principle and jeopardize Mr. Stern's constitutional right to a fair trial. With formal charges having been filed, this case should not be tried in the court of public opinion and Mr. Stern has no intention of doing so. However, Mr. Stern and I are mindful of the reality that he has for the past several years found himself on trial in the media. The media trial of Mr. Stern has been based on constant shouts of guilty from a barrage of uninformed commentators based on totally inaccurate and often manufactured "facts." The television, tabloid and Internet trial of Mr. Stern in the court of public opinion has been based on sensational lies, speculation, rumor and gossip. Unfortunately, it appears that criminal charges have now been brought by the State of California based on this same type of misinformation.
Mr. Stern will continue efforts to have the evidence in his civil cases unsealed and made available for public inspection and review so that hopefully any future media discussions will be informed ones, based on the actual facts and not sensationalized accusations that have no factual or legal merit. If this occurs, future discussions will focus on Mr. Stern's innocence."
Thoughts?
So, so messy.
> Attorney General On Anna Nicole Drug Case: "This Is Bad Business" - Mar 13, 2009
> Howard K. Stern Charged With Conspiracy In Anna Nicole Smith Investigation - Mar 13, 2009
> Anna Nicole's Daughter DannieLynn Named Sole Heir - Mar 04, 2008
> Anna Nicole's Bodyguard Dishes on Her Babydaddy: Just a "Sperm Donor"! - Feb 12, 2008
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