Winnie the Pooh battle on appeal

The family that owns the US marketing rights to Winnie the Pooh will appeal a judge’s dismissal of its long-running royalties dispute.

A Los Angeles judge had thrown out the case last March

Over a decade old, the law suit against The Walt Disney Co was guaranteed to continue when attorney Steven Sherr said the “judge’s ruling was incorrect”.

 

Speaking to journalists in Los Angeles on Tuesday, Sherr was referring to a March 2004 ruling in which Los Angeles Superior Court Judge Charles McCoy threw out the case brought by Stephen Slesinger Inc.

 

McCoy ruled the company illegally obtained confidential documents from Disney offices and trash.

 

The judge had also dismissed the 13-year-old lawsuit with prejudice, meaning the company cannot sue again on the claim that Disney owed millions of dollars in royalties for Pooh movies released on DVD.

 

The Slesinger family had asked McCoy to recuse himself and order a new hearing, saying a Disney legal consultant on the case is a member of the judge’s old law firm.

 

However, an Orange County Superior Court judge also said in July 2004 that the claim had no merit.