On Friday, Marc Toberoff, the attorney representing heirs of SUPERMAN co-creators in their copyright battle with DC Comics, has filed a motion to have a lawsuit filed against him by DC thrown out, reports VARIETY.
On Friday, Marc Toberoff, the attorney representing heirs of SUPERMAN co-creators in their copyright battle with DC Comics, has filed a motion to have a lawsuit filed against him by DC thrown out, reports VARIETY. He is using California's anti-SLAPP laws, which bar the use of legal claims to intimidate the opposition in court, as the basis for the dismissal.
Previous court rulings in 2008 and 2009 have given substantial rights back to co-creator Jerome Siegel and Joseph Shuster's heirs starting in 2013.
DC claims that Toberoff compensation for his legal services create a conflict of interest in DC Comics making agreements with the heirs for the property. As part of his arrangement, Toberoff will control 47.5% of the rights with the Siegel heirs holding 27.5% and the Shusters' 25%. In the suit, DC presented unsigned documents from Toberoff's law firm laying out his plan to obtain as much of the copyright for himself as he could. Toberoff claims those documents were stolen.
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