Pooh suit against Disney dismissed
LOS ANGELES, California (Reuters) -- A California Superior Court judge has thrown out a lawsuit against Walt Disney Co. over hundreds of millions of dollars in revenue from Winnie the Pooh, Disney's lawyer Daniel Petrocelli said Monday.
"It is all over. After 13 years the Winnie the Pooh case is finally over," Petrocelli told Reuters.
Stephen Slesinger Inc., the family firm with U.S. merchandising rights to the honey-loving bear, had argued that Disney reneged on promises to pay royalties on video cassettes and short-changed it on other items.
Disney denied the charges, but warned that losing the case could cost it hundreds of millions of dollars.
In a hearing last month, Disney asked Los Angeles Superior Court judge Charles McCoy, who took over last October, to throw out the case, accusing Slesinger of stealing evidence. Slesinger had denied those charges.
"The court has dismissed the Slesinger's lawsuit with prejudice," Petrocelli said.
Slesinger's lawyer was not immediately available for comment.
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