Links to Smith death barred in drug case

A judge has decided that no evidence linking the boyfriend and doctors of the late Anna Nicole Smith to her death will be included in their drug trial.

The Playboy model's lawyer and lover Howard K. Stern is accused of conspiring with Dr Sandeep Kapoor and Dr Khristine Eroshevich to illegally prescribe opiates and sedatives to Smith ahead of her fatal drug overdose in 2007.

However, Fox News reports that Superior Court Judge Robert Perry decided in a pretrial hearing that as the defendants are not charged with causing Smith's death, too much of a focus on her passing could prevent them from receiving a free trial.

Stern, Kapoor and Eroshevich have all pleaded not guilty to the drug charges. It was reported earlier this week that Smith's ex-partner Larry Birkhead will be expected to testify during the case.