The Theft Charges Against Keya Morgan, the Former Manager of Marvel’s Stan Lee, has Dismissed by the Supreme Court

On Tuesday in Los Angeles, the former business manager of Marvel Comics creator Stan Lee had grand theft charges against him declared a mistrial and dismissed. After a 2-day deliberation period and a 2-and-a-half-week trial, a jury could not reach a verdict. Superior Court Judge George Lomeli dismissed the charges against Keya Morgan, who was accused of stealing from Lee.

According to Variety, Lomeli stated he was interfering “in the interests of justice” by having Morgan acquitted of three counts of felony grand theft from an elder. Morgan’s lawyer, Alex Kessel, told The Associated Press via email, “My client and I have spent four years demonstrating his innocence, and today we succeeded.”

Morgan, 41, was accused by prosecutors of stealing over $220,000 in earnings from three memorabilia signings from Lee around six months before Lee’s death in 2018. Morgan’s arrest occurred the following year. Morgan had the first allegations against him of elder abuse, and false imprisonment dropped well before the trial.

A legal war of four years to prove the truth

At trial, the prosecution said Morgan had preyed on Lee in his latter months of life when Lee’s mental faculties were at their weakest and that Morgan had acted without Lee’s permission. The defendant’s daughter and heir, J.C. Lee, was called a witness by Kessel, who claimed that she had received the missing funds.

The trials of infamous film mogul Harvey Weinstein and actor Danny Masterson, which were taking place in the same downtown Los Angeles courtroom as Morgan’s, overshadowed the proceedings. After hours, they sent a comment request email to the Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office but did not receive a prompt response.

Lee, the creative force behind Spider-Man, the Fantastic Four, and the Incredible Hulk at Marvel, passed away in November 2018 at 95. He also made memorable cameo appearances in films based on his characters.