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Parallel Universes: ‘Guardians Of The Galaxy’ And Stan Lee Venture Into Trusts-And-Estates Litigation

Despite Stan Lee’s genius, success, and socioeconomic status, he is another example of an aging individual susceptible to the undue influence of others.

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Stan Lee (Photo by Axelle/Bauer-Griffin/FilmMagic)

Following film and literature, Marvel Comics has ventured into the world of trusts and estates as an impetus for tremendous drama. Marvel fans are anxiously awaiting the January 2019 reboot of comic series, Guardians of the Galaxy. Marvel.com writer Donny Cates has teased that the series’ first story continues the plot from Infinity Wars’ Thanos Legacy, which closed as Eros, the title character’s brother, cuts a last will and testament out of Thanos’s dead body. Eros performed the document extraction in order to discover details about a future calamitous event. Comic (and trusts and estates) fans cannot wait for the reading of the document, which opens the new series and reveals specifics as to the impending doom.

Certainly Thanos is not the first decedent to have a relative show up upon his death and start a ruckus about his estate. This storyline eerily parallels the present life of Marvel creator and chairman emeritus, 95-year-old Stan Lee, who is the subject of litigation wherein he, family, attorneys, and other advisors are fighting over control of his person and property.

Lee’s present estate is estimated to be worth between $50 million and $70 million, and he continues to receive consistent monies as a result of his past and continuing roles at Marvel. Despite Stan Lee’s genius, success, and socioeconomic status, he is another example of an aging individual susceptible to the undue influence of others. Not uncommon, Stan Lee’s issues regarding personal and property management acutely arose following the July 2017 death of Joan Lee, his wife of almost 70 years. Often the death of a longtime spouse leaves the survivor emotionally, physically, and financially vulnerable to individuals eager to fill her void and or assert influence.

The details involving Stan Lee’s present legal issues are multi-faceted with many individuals claiming to have his best interest in mind. Amongst the players are his daughter J.C. Lee, movie producer and former manager Keya Morgan, and attorney Thomas Lallas, who in June 2018 filed a petition on behalf of Stan Lee for a restraining order against Morgan. The petition alleged that in February 2018, Morgan ousted Lallas as Lee’s attorney. Allegations of undue influence were espoused and drama has ensued. Highlights include videos of Lee on Twitter stating his allegiances, illnesses, allegedly hacked Facebook accounts, and a $1 billion lawsuit by Lee against POW! Entertainment that was later withdrawn. Most bizarre, in June 2018, Morgan was arrested on suspicion of making a false police report when he called 911 reporting a burglary in Lee’s home. Morgan’s call, however, coincided with a social worker and police welfare visit to Lee; there was no burglary. As a result of Morgan’s call, at least eight police units and a helicopter responded.

In a dramatic legal twist, on the one-year anniversary of Joan Lee’s death, Los Angeles County Superior Court Judge Pro Tem Ruth Kleman refused to recognize Lallas as Lee’s attorney despite his petition on behalf of Lee for a restraining order against Morgan. Lee, with the assistance of new attorneys, filed a declaration stating that he had fired Lallas in February 2018 and that he did not want him to represent him. The restraining order was granted, but based on the new attorneys’ arguments alleging that Morgan has inserted himself into Lee’s life, separated Lee from his daughter, and has misappropriated $5 million worth of Lee’s assets.

Marvel fans are counting down the months to the reading of Thanos’s last will and testament when a tale of cataclysmic proportions will be revealed. For certain, Marvel fans also hope that with time, Lee’s own personal drama subsides and that we do not know from Lee’s own last will and testament, or the drama that will likely accompany it, for many years to come.

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Cori A. Robinson is a solo practitioner having founded Cori A. Robinson PLLC, a New York and New Jersey law firm, in 2017. For more than a decade Cori has focused her law practice on trusts and estates and elder law including estate and Medicaid planning, probate and administration, estate litigation, and guardianships. She can be reached at cori@robinsonestatelaw.com. 

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