Stern's arraignment date moved up

Rex Features

Howard K. Stern's arraignment in court has been moved to a month earlier than previously scheduled.

Stern was to appear in a Los Angeles court to be arraigned on May 13, but the date has been pushed up to April 7, according to Access Hollywood.

The former lawyer and lover of Anna Nicole Smith faces charges of conspiring to keep the late model supplied with prescription drugs, despite her addiction.

Smith’s death due to an accidental overdose of prescription drugs in 2007 is under re-investigation and prosecutors are looking into the events that led up to her demise.

Stern was arrested in March, along with Dr. Khristine Eroshevich and Dr. Sandeep Kapoor.

The two doctors face the same charges as Stern, along with additional counts of obtaining a prescription for opiates by fraud, deceit or misrepresentation and prescribing opiates by giving a false name or address.

If convicted, all three defendants could face up to 33 years in jail.