Stan Lee sues ex-manager for fraud, elder abuse – and stealing Lee’s blood for re-sale
Stan Lee, the 95-year-old writer, editor, film executive producer, publisher and co-creator of comics like Spider-Man, Fantastic Four, Daredevil, Black Panther, X-Men and many more, filed a lawsuit on April 13 accusing his ex-business manager, Jerardo Olivarez, of fraud and elder abuse. Lee’s lawsuit claims that Olivarez stole millions of dollars from the former Marvel Comics’ editor-in-chief, and also stole Lee’s blood – and has been selling it.
Lee’s lawsuit claims that after his wife Joan passed away last year, he “became the target of various unscrupulous businessmen, sycophants and opportunists who saw a chance to take advantage of [his] despondent state of mind,” according to People. Lee’s complaint states that Olivarez withdrew approximately $4.6 million dollars from Lee’s Merrill Lynch Account – without Lee’s authorization. “Another $1.4 million has simply disappeared from Lee’s accounts through a series of complicated wire transfers that Olivarez initiated and ultimate received,” according to Deadline.
Variety shared that Olivarez used funds drained from Lee to purchase a West Hollywood condo and set up a fictitious charity, Hands of Respect, “to sell comic books stamped with Lee’s blood.”
Hands of Respect, the purported charity, held itself out as promoting racial harmony. According to its website, blood was drawn from Lee with his “full support and at his urging,” and then used to stamp “DNA Ink” on comic books “as legacy and for his fans.” According to the suit, however, Lee did not consent to the idea. ~ Variety
TMZ reports that a collectibles store in Las Vegas purchased books from Hands of Respect containing the purported Lee blood stamp and that the store was selling Black Panther comics for $250 – $500 before the store management pulled the books from the shelves. TMZ also shared that Lee’s blood was stolen from him last October, “after a former business associate presented Lee’s nurse with fake docs that authorized that a sample be drawn.”
Lee’s suit also accuses Olivarez of plugging himself into Lee’s will and stealing cash and jewelry. Lee is looking for a financial reckoning of all his accounts and is seeking restitution.
~ Written by: Richard Webster, Ace News Today / Connect with Richard on Facebook and Twitter
