Anna Nicole Smith's boyfriend and psychiatrist guilty of drug conspiracy

The jury was asked to decide if the three defendants were trying to relieve Smith's emotional and physical pain or were actually feeding her addiction to prescription drugs.

Smith eventually died of an accidental drug overdose in Florida in 2007, but the defendants were not charged in her death.

Dr Sandeep Kapoor, who was acquitted of all charges made an emotional statement outside the courthouse where he said: "This is not just a victory for me, but for patients everywhere who suffer chronic pain."

His lawyer Ellyn Garofalo said it also was a victory in some ways for Smith. "The jury found she was not an addict," he said.

The only conviction against Smith's boyfriend-lawyer Howard K Stern was for giving false names and acting by fraud to obtain prescriptions.

He was acquitted of seven other charges.

As he left the courthouse, he said: "Everything relating to the appropriateness of the medication I was acquitted of."

He said the lone conviction came for trying to protect Smith's privacy.

Along with conspiracy, psychiatrist Khristine Eroshevich was convicted of unlawfully prescribing Vicodin by fraud. The jury deadlocked on several counts against her.

Stern and Eroshevich remained free pending a hearing on January 6, when the defence can file a motion for a new trial.

If the motion is denied, the judge can sentence both defendants, but it was not immediately clear how much prison time, if any, they could face.

The defendants had been charged with conspiracy, excessive prescribing of opiates and sedatives to an addict, and fraudulently obtaining drugs by using false names.

Stern, 41, had been Smith's lawyer, manager, lover and friend since they met in 2001. Testimony showed they were inseparable, even when she was involved with other men.

In 2006, Smith donned a wedding gown, and she and Stern had a commitment ceremony on a catamaran off the Bahamas. They exchanged rings and vows but were never legally married.

At the heart of the drug case was the question of whether Smith became dependent on opiates and sedatives after being diagnosed and treated for chronic pain syndrome and illnesses including seizures, migraines and spinal pain.

Defence attorney Steve Sadow, who represents Stern, said Smith was the love of his client's life and he would never harm her.He also stressed that Stern was not a doctor and was relying on medical professionals to do the right thing for Smith.

Stern's name was on a number of prescriptions which prosecutors said were intended for Smith.