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Winnie the Pooh court case postponed to Sept. 24
Reuters, 03.03.03, 9:28 PM ET
LOS ANGELES, March 3 (Reuters) - A trial involving billions of dollars in marketing rights to honey-loving Winnie the Pooh has been postponed until September from later this week, Walt Disney Co. (nyse: DIS - news - people) and its legal antagonist both said on Monday.
The lawsuit filed in 1991 by Stephen Slesinger Inc., which holds U.S. marketing rights to the bear created by British author A.A. Milne and which claims Disney shortchanged it in a subsequent deal, is one of the oldest in Los Angeles.
A trial due on March 5 has been rescheduled to Sept. 24 so that the court can deal with side issues, lawyers for both sides said.
Daniel Petrocelli, lawyer for Disney, added that he expected the case would probably be delayed again in the fall, given the number of issues to be resolved. "I don't believe that will be the actual trial date," he told Reuters in an interview.
Disney has said it could be liable for hundreds of millions of dollars if it loses the case on Pooh, which brings in some $1 billion of revenue to Disney every year.
Slesinger acquired U.S. marketing rights to Pooh from Milne around 1930 and decades later made a deal with Disney that is now the source of contention.
The next side issue facing the Los Angeles Superior Court is a Disney motion to throw out the case, which is scheduled for arguments on April 11.
In that motion, Disney argues the case should be dismissed, alleging that private investigators working for Slesinger stole documents from Disney's offices and trash. Slesinger's lawyers have denied the theft but said they did retrieve some documents from Disney's trash.
Copyright 2003, Reuters News Service
Reuters, 03.03.03, 9:28 PM ET
LOS ANGELES, March 3 (Reuters) - A trial involving billions of dollars in marketing rights to honey-loving Winnie the Pooh has been postponed until September from later this week, Walt Disney Co. (nyse: DIS - news - people) and its legal antagonist both said on Monday.
The lawsuit filed in 1991 by Stephen Slesinger Inc., which holds U.S. marketing rights to the bear created by British author A.A. Milne and which claims Disney shortchanged it in a subsequent deal, is one of the oldest in Los Angeles.
A trial due on March 5 has been rescheduled to Sept. 24 so that the court can deal with side issues, lawyers for both sides said.
Daniel Petrocelli, lawyer for Disney, added that he expected the case would probably be delayed again in the fall, given the number of issues to be resolved. "I don't believe that will be the actual trial date," he told Reuters in an interview.
Disney has said it could be liable for hundreds of millions of dollars if it loses the case on Pooh, which brings in some $1 billion of revenue to Disney every year.
Slesinger acquired U.S. marketing rights to Pooh from Milne around 1930 and decades later made a deal with Disney that is now the source of contention.
The next side issue facing the Los Angeles Superior Court is a Disney motion to throw out the case, which is scheduled for arguments on April 11.
In that motion, Disney argues the case should be dismissed, alleging that private investigators working for Slesinger stole documents from Disney's offices and trash. Slesinger's lawyers have denied the theft but said they did retrieve some documents from Disney's trash.
Copyright 2003, Reuters News Service
