An appellate court said a trial judge erred in dismissing conspiracy convictions against Anna Nicole Smith's psychiatrist and manager, a ruling that defense attorneys said could send the case in different directions.
The ruling came after Superior Court Judge Robert Perry chose to throw out the 2010 jury verdict that Smith manager Howard K. Stern and psychiatrist Khristine Eroshevich conspired to obtain prescription drugs for the troubled model by using false names.
The judge found it was not unusual in the celebrity world Smith inhabited for fake names to be used to protect privacy.
The Second District Court of Appeals reversed those findings, saying there was enough evidence to support the conspiracy convictions. It said Stern cannot be tried, but Eroshevich might get another trial. However, the judge also could take different actions because the appellate court returned the case to him with no instructions.
