A Los Angeles judge on Tuesday declared a mistrial, dismissing the grand larceny charge against former Marvel Comics tycoon executive Stan Lee.
Superior Court Judge George Lomeli dismissed charges against Keya Morgan, 41, who was accused of stealing more than $220,000 from Lee in the final months of his life.
Lee was known for being a co-creator of the globally popular comic book heroes Spider-Man, Iron Man, and The Hulk, as well as dozens of others.
In recent decades he has had cameo appearances in many of the blockbuster mega-hits based on the characters he created.
After a two-and-a-half week trial and two days of deliberation, the jury returned an 11-1 verdict to acquit Morgan of the crime.
According to Variety, Lomeli said his firing comes to clear Morgan of multiple counts of grand larceny by an elder “in the interests of justice.”
Keya Morgan, 41 (right), and Stan Lee (left). Morgan served as Lee’s general manager for the last few years of his life. He was arrested in 2019 for stealing from the comic tycoon
Lee, lucky with the beloved superhero characters he helped create, died in 2018 at the age of 95
Morgan was initially charged with elder abuse and grand larceny for allegedly stealing the proceeds of several memorabilia sales he arranged in the final months of Lee’s life
Prosecutors argued Morgan stole $222,480 in cash raised through the sale of Lee memorabilia in 2018 – shortly before the comic book legend’s death.
Morgan’s defense attorney, Alex Kessel, said his team was able to show that “someone else got the money besides my client.”
“Eleven of them saw that … I think the judge made the right decision for my client to get on with his life,” he added.
Morgan was accused of pocketing the proceeds of several memorabilia signings in May 2018, which took place about six months before Lee’s death at the age of 95.
He was arrested in 2019 and initially charged with false imprisonment and elder abuse – both dropped long before the case went to court.
If convicted, Morgan faces up to nine years in prison.
Some of Lee’s most famous characters are Spider-Man, Iron Man and the Hulk
The defense argued the money did not go to Morgan but ultimately went to Lee’s 72-year-old daughter, JC Lee. The jury ended in a hanging trial, which led to a missrial declaration by an LA Superior Court judge
The defense argued that Lee’s daughter JC received the money Morgan was accused of stealing
Prosecutor Jeff Stodel argued that Morgan took advantage of Lee’s mental decline towards the end of his life and made the signings to get away with it for profit.
“Not a single dollar that Mr. Lee worked and earned got into his account,” Stodel said in his opening statement.
Kessel, in turn, told the court that JC Lee – Stan’s daughter – did in fact have the money.
Kessel called JC the “key to our defense,” who he also said was “the only one who abused Stan Lee.”
He argued that JC’s testimony proved she was “spoiled” and “entitled” and that they knew in their hearts who ended up having the money.
‘It’s easy. dad has money Dad loves daughter. Dad gives daughter money,” Kessel argued during his graduation.
Kessel added that Lee was reportedly a long-time cash trader, which is why there were no deposits in his bank account for the hundreds of thousands raised through memorabilia sales.
In a statement to Portal, Kessel said, “Today’s exoneration of my client comes after four years of baseless allegations by the LA District Attorney.”
Proceedings for the Los Angeles trial were largely overshadowed by the simultaneous trials of fallen Hollywood mogul Harvey Weinstein and actor Danny Masterson, which took place in the same downtown courthouse.