Disney Loses Appeal Over Destroyed Pooh Documents
LOS ANGELES (Reuters) -- Walt Disney Co. will not be able to contest key evidence in a long-running suit over the honey pot of marketing rights to Winnie the Pooh after it destroyed key documents in the case, a California appeals court ruled on Wednesday. The court ruled on a technicality and said that questions on the original decision remained but denied Disney the chance before trial to contest the ruling. The ruling is part of a bigger court drama over whether the holder of U.S. rights to Pooh, Stephen Slesinger Inc., was shortchanged by Disney over royalties due under a 1983 deal, a case that Disney has said could cost it $200 million. Slesinger in part says it is owed royalties on all commercialization of Pooh, which is expected to be the subject of a jury trial next year.
LOS ANGELES (Reuters) -- Walt Disney Co. will not be able to contest key evidence in a long-running suit over the honey pot of marketing rights to Winnie the Pooh after it destroyed key documents in the case, a California appeals court ruled on Wednesday. The court ruled on a technicality and said that questions on the original decision remained but denied Disney the chance before trial to contest the ruling. The ruling is part of a bigger court drama over whether the holder of U.S. rights to Pooh, Stephen Slesinger Inc., was shortchanged by Disney over royalties due under a 1983 deal, a case that Disney has said could cost it $200 million. Slesinger in part says it is owed royalties on all commercialization of Pooh, which is expected to be the subject of a jury trial next year.