Judge tosses Stan Lee lawsuit

Actually, the $1-billion suit was against Marvel Entertainment and filed by shareholders of Stan Lee Media, a company that Stan Lee is no longer associated with. Yeah, it's complicated, and it's been dragging out for years. In fact, the federal judge who dismissed the case admonished the plaintiffs for trying to circumvent prior rulings. From THR Esq

In 1998, after Marvel used bankruptcy proceedings to void its $1 million-per-year lifetime contract with Lee, the legendary comic book creator formed SLMI as a Web-based production and marketing company to control his intellectual property. Three years later, SLMI was in its own bankruptcy, and Lee sued Marvel for reneging on his employment contract. A settlement was reached, with Marvel regaining control over Lee's properties. Some of the executives and shareholders of SLMI weren't happy with that development, however, and have alleged that Lee's comics creations, such as X-Men, Iron Man and the Fantastic Four, were stolen from them.

Over the years, several lawsuits were filed against Lee and Marvel - and dismissed. This might finally be the end of the line -- then again, maybe not. By the way, Marvel is now owned by Disney, and Lee is with POW! Entertainment in Bev Hills.