The daughter of Stan Lee, J.C., has reached a settlement in a lawsuit against Max Anderson, Lee’s former road manager who has been accused of elder abuse and theft.
What was the settlement reached by Stan Lee’s daughter?
The trial for the case was set to begin next week, but both sides informed the court that they had reached an agreement on Thursday (via THR). Terms for the agreement were not disclosed, nor were any details beyond the fact that the settlement would be completed under the completion of a set of undisclosed terms.
The lawsuit accused Anderson of using his control of Lee’s life to steal upwards of $21 million, including tons of collectibles and memorabilia. These items included movie props, comics, and reportedly the original drawing of Batman’s Joker from Batman creator Bob Kane.
The lawsuit further alleged that Anderson, who assumed control of his operations for comic book conventions and public appearances in 2007, was operating a business, “Stan Lee Collectibles,” alongside a partner that saw no profits going to Lee. Anderson stopped working for Lee in 2017, when he was reportedly pushed out of his circle by J.C.
The suit also claims that Lee sold worldwide license of his name and likeness in perpetuity to Anderson for a dollar.
Over the course of their relationship, Anderson accompanied Lee to over 100 comic book conventions. The business, according to the suit, would charge fans for Lee’s signature on a number of items for $120 per autograph. According to Lee’s daughter, Anderson — who claims he was never paid by Lee for his work and was paid in the form of autographs on various collectibles — pushed the comic icon to constantly work in his old age, and stole at least $11.1 million in autograph revenue, and $10.2 million in appearance fees.
Anderson argued that he never handled money at events. but witnesses at the trial were set to testify that they saw Anderson handling “duffle bags” of cash, according to THR’s report. Anderson’s ex-wife was also reportedly set to testify that she saw him handling large amounts of money after returning home from conventions with Lee, and keeping “stacks of cash” hidden in a bedroom safe.
Lee’s daughter, J.C., also pointed to a museum that was intended to house a number of collectibles from Lee in the lawsuit. According to J.C., Anderson arranged for Lee to give him a number of personal items that were to be shown off in this museum. However, in the years since Lee’s death in 2018, the pieces have largely remained in Anderson’s possession at a comic book store he owns, or in his home, and the museum has only been featured a handful of times.
