Stan Lee’s Property Loses Yearslong Elder Abuse Lawsuit Towards Former Lawyer on a Technicality

A messy authorized battle initiated by Stan Lee’s property involving accusations of exploitation and elder abuse by the comedian ebook legend’s inside circle has concluded, with an arbitrator siding with Lee’s former lawyer that the lawsuit in opposition to him was introduced too late.

The five-year authorized saga was sparked by The Hollywood Reporter’s investigation into Lee’s property, which chronicled allegations that individuals launched into his life by his daughter, J.C., stole thousands and thousands of {dollars} from him. This included Jerardo Olivarez, Lee’s ex-business supervisor who was given energy of lawyer. Olivarez allegedly insisted that Lee retain Uri Litvak as his lawyer for enterprise dealings, however he didn’t disclose a battle of curiosity stemming from Litvak representing him in private issues. A yr after Olivarez was sued, Lee additionally named Litvak within the lawsuit calling the pair “unscrupulous businessmen, sycophants and opportunists” in search of to make the most of him following the dying of his spouse.

A procedural defect within the lawsuit, nonetheless, led to Los Angeles Superior Court docket Choose Mark Epstein on Tuesday coming into judgment in favor of Litvak after an arbitrator present in February that the statute of limitations to sue him had expired. Lee had a one-year window beginning on April 12, 2018, when the criticism in opposition to Olivarez was filed, to additionally title Litvak within the lawsuit. Litvak was sued on April 18, 2018, 5 days previous the utmost allowable time to provoke authorized proceedings.

Joan Lee, the trustee for the property, argued that Litvak’s illustration of her father continued past the interval the lawsuit was filed, which might cease the clock on the statute of limitations.

In response, Litvak cited a letter from Lee despatched on Dec. 13, 2017, informing him that he was discharged. Included within the correspondence was a message from Tom Lallas, his substitute, directing Litvak to switch to him all related information.

Arbitrator David Brickner rejected arguments from Lee’s property that there have been unresolved questions relating as to whether Litvak continued to signify Lee till 2021.

“The letter from Mr. Lee on December 13, 2017, leaves little question within the arbitrator’s thoughts that Mr. Litvak’s skilled companies had been terminated, each within the minds of Mr. Litvak and Mr. Lee,” Brickner wrote. “No affordable individual might conclude in any other case and Ms. Lee has raised no problem of reality or regulation suggesting the opposite.”

The ruling closes the ebook on authorized proceedings referring to folks alleged to have stolen from Lee in his closing years. Olivarez final yr settled claims in opposition to him. Shortly after, Los Angeles Superior Court docket Choose George Lomeli declared a mistrial in a legal case in opposition to Lee’s former enterprise supervisor Keya Morgan. She dismissed the costs after the jury mentioned it was deadlocked 11-1 in favor of acquittal. Morgan was accused of stealing greater than $220,000 in proceeds from memorabilia signings from Lee roughly six months earlier than he died. Costs of elder abuse and false imprisonment had been dropped previous to the trial.