Choose Drops Fees Towards Stan Lee’s Ex-Supervisor After Jury Deadlocks

A choose dismissed theft expenses on Tuesday towards Stan Lee’s former enterprise supervisor, Keya Morgan, after a jury introduced that it was deadlocked within the case.

The jurors mentioned they had been break up 11-1 in favor of acquitting Morgan, who was accused of stealing $222,480 in money from Lee. Choose George Lomeli declared a mistrial, excused the jury after which introduced that he was dismissing the case “within the pursuits of justice.”

“The protection confirmed someone else beside my consumer received the money,” protection lawyer Alex Kessel mentioned outdoors courtroom. “Eleven of them noticed that… I believe the choose made the suitable name so my consumer can go on together with his life.”

Morgan was accused of stealing the proceeds from three memorabilia signings in Might 2018, which passed off about six months earlier than Lee died at age 95. He was tried on three felony counts of grand theft from an elder, and will have confronted as much as 9 years in jail if convicted.

The prosecutor, Jeff Stodel, alleged that Morgan took benefit of Lee’s psychological decline to arrange the signings after which pocketed the money.

“Not one greenback that Mr. Lee labored for and earned made it into his account,” Stodel mentioned in his opening assertion.

Kessel instructed jurors that there was no proof that Morgan truly took the cash and argued that Lee’s daughter, J.C. Lee, was the true offender.

“J.C. received the cash,” Kessel mentioned in his closing argument. “She’s the important thing to our protection.”

Kessel known as J.C. Lee as a witness on the trial, which ran for about two and a half weeks in Los Angeles County Superior Courtroom. Kessel argued that the testimony confirmed that J.C. Lee was “spoiled” and “entitled,” and had been residing off her father’s benevolence for her total life.

“The one one who’s abused Stan Lee is J.C. Lee,” Kessel mentioned.

He additionally argued that Stan Lee liked his daughter and wished her to obtain all his cash when he died. A number of of the jurors had been laughing throughout Kessel’s closing argument, as he described J.C. Lee’s colourful testimony.

“You understand in your hearts who received the cash,” Kessel mentioned. “It’s easy. Dad has cash. Dad loves daughter. Dad provides cash to daughter.”

Kessel additionally argued that Stan Lee had lengthy dealt in money — explaining why there have been no deposits in his checking account — more likely to keep away from paying earnings taxes.

Stodel countered that Stan Lee had reduce off his daughter’s bank card as a result of her spending was uncontrolled. Thus, he argued that Lee wouldn’t have merely handed over $200,000 in money to her. Stodel performed an audio recording of an argument between Stan and J.C. Lee, wherein J.C. Lee berated him for reducing off the bank card.

Stodel urged the jury to not get distracted by the protection concept, and to focus as an alternative on testimony exhibiting that Morgan had taken the cash.

“It wasn’t Keya Morgan’s (cash),” Stodel mentioned. “It’s a theft — plain and easy.”

The protection performed its personal audio recordings of conversations between Morgan and J.C. Lee. In a type of conversations, J.C. Lee made a reference to “having a pair hundred thousand right here” — suggesting she had obtained a big sum of money.

Stodel argued that Morgan had “doctored” the tapes.

“That’s not an actual dialog you heard,” the prosecutor instructed the jury. “It’s surprising they tried to do that on this case.”

Kessel vehemently denied tampering with the audio tapes, charging that Stodel was attacking his integrity with none proof.

Stodel ended his closing argument with Lee’s Latin catchphrase.

“This man preyed on this man, who was susceptible and had nobody in his life to guard him,” Stodel mentioned. “He knew it and he preyed on this man in an effort to enrich himself. Discover him responsible. Don’t let him get away with that.

“Excelsior.”

Fees of elder abuse and false imprisonment had been dismissed earlier than the trial.

Exterior the courtroom, Morgan mentioned he believed that Lee could be happy with the result.

“He could be very pleased,” Morgan mentioned. “He has repeatedly instructed reporters that nothing makes him extra offended than false accusations towards me.”