Ah, drug addiction. Alcoholism. Substance abuse in general. Words cannot express how much I hate you. How I cringe at the very mention of your name. If there were one mental and physical health problem I could make tangible – maybe even human – for just one hour, it would be you, substance abuse. Only so I could wrap my hands around your neck and make you feel the same kind of pain you bestow upon your victims, their families and friends. Finally end the misery you bring into all these people’s lives.
Most everyone knows about the “combined drug intoxication” that surrounded Anna Nicole Smith’s death in early 2007, and some of you might even be keeping up with the recent felony charges Howard K. Stern – Smith’s former attorney and the executor of her will, if I’m not mistaken – and two of Smith’s former doctors have racked up for themselves for possible illegal drug prescriptions.
Now, it seems Smith’s father, Donald Hogan, is also looking to bring some legal heat in Stern’s direction in the form of a wrongful death suit.
As Smith’s father, I’m sure her death was painful beyond belief for Hogan. Now that it looks like there might be somewhere to point fingers regarding where Smith was getting her drugs, I’m sure he feels there’s some sort of justice to be served. And maybe there is – who knows? Maybe Stern really was involved with a “conspiracy to acquire drugs” and helping Smith get illegal prescriptions?
According to eonline.com, Smith’s father realizes no one forced his daughter to take drugs and isn’t looking to financially benefit from anything:
“I would urge Virgie also to think about this—this wrongful death,” Hogan, 61, says. “And personally, I don’t care if we get a dime out of it. Not one dime.”
“But I blame him totally for her death…Nobody put a gun to her head, but somebody sure brought a lot of drugs home and, instead of bringing drugs to someone, even if she had a fit about it, I’d tell her to tell someone else to get it for you.”
Honestly, Hogan seems to have a pretty good handle on it in my opinion. He’s found a balance between “my daughter took drugs of her own free will” and “someone helped fuel my daughter’s addiction.”
So, what do you think? If you were in Hogan’s shoes, would “wrongful death suit” be the route you’d take? If Stern did indeed help Smith obtain illegal prescriptions, is he partially responsible for her demise?
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I think you’re right, Hogan’s perspective seems balanced. And I can understand his desire to have Stern suffer. But (and I haven’t really read up on this topic)….
in the end Smith is the one fully reponsible for her own death; Stern is only responsible for not preventing it. An addict is an addict, no matter where the drugs come from. An addict will do whatever it takes to get drugs, if one person refuses they’ll find another. Totally blaming Stern leaves out any of the other people along the way who helped her that we just don’t know about.
A new suit will not help Hogan heal, which is what he really needs to begin doing. A suit will prolong his anger, hurt, resentment and (possibly) guilt for however his role in Anna’s life failed her and added to her so sad and early demise.
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