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November 21, 2013: Warner Bros. Wins Superman Lawsuit Appeal
Posted by Neil Cole
The decade long lawsuit between Warner Bros. and the heirs of the estates of Superman co-creators, Jerry Siegel & Joe Shuster, appears to be officially over.
On Thursday, the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeal ruled in favor of Warner Bros. studio by a 2-1 ruling which reaffirmed an earlier ruling on the case by U.S. District Judge Otis Wright, III.
In March, Judge Wright ruled that the Siegel heirs' October, 2001 agreement with DC Comics is an enforceable contract and, therefore, that the rights to the iconic character belong to the Warner Bros. Entertainment Inc. owned company, DC Comics.
"We are obviously very pleased with the court's decision," said a Warner Bros. spokesperson in a statement released earlier today.
The attorney for both estates who filed the appeal, Marc Toberoff, does have the option to request a rehearing from the panel or petition the Supreme Court. However, at this point, the case is pretty much officially closed and there is practically no chance of any further legal developments.
Read a complete memorandum of today's ruling at https://www.deadline.com.
