Trial Underway in Death of Anna Nicole Smith

More than three years after the drug-related death of Anna Nicole Smith, the legal battle rages on to determine if some of those closest to her will be held responsible for contributing to the model-turned-reality star’s tragic demise.

The current court case is centered around accusations made by Maurice "Mo" Brighthaupt, Smith’s former bodyguard, who has accused Howard K. Stern of injecting her with drugs.

Brighthaupt testified recently, defending his charges against Stern, Smith’s longtime lawyer and eventual boyfriend. During the proceedings, he also acknowledged he only went public with his accusations after Stern called him “a thief” during an Oct. 10, 2007 appearance on CNN.

Smith died on February 8, 2007, while at a Florida hotel. The cause of death was eventually determined to be "acute combined drug intoxication."

In addition to Stern, Dr. Khristine Eroshevich and Dr. Sandeep Kapoor are also on trial in Los Angeles County Superior Court on charges of conspiring to provide drugs to an addict and using false names on Smith's drug prescriptions.

Stern's defense lawyer, Steve Sadow, grilled Brighthaupt for more than an hour about his direct testimony in which he said he saw Stern inject Smith with drugs, according to CNN. Brighthaupt reluctantly acknowledged that he didn’t tell that story publically, though, until days after Stern’s appearance on CNN’s Larry King Live. Reports show that Brighthaupt also accepted $10,000 from Access Hollywood to license the use of some photos of Smith.

The trial is expected to last up to three months, possibly stretching into November 2010.

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