Stan Lee’s business manager Keya Morgan has pled not guilty to charges that he allegedly filed false police reports last month.
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According to the Associated Press, Morgan’s attorney Alex Kessel entered a not guilty plea today in Los Angeles. Morgan is charged with calling 911 to report that authorities conducting a welfare check on the 95-year-old Marvel Comics legend were burglars. The charges appear to stem from an incident in late May in which Morgan claimed that Lee had been accosted by a pair of armed men outside his home.
Morgan was one of a number of individuals named in a The Hollywood Reporter report alleging elder abuse against Lee, although both Lee and Morgan denied those charges. However, following Morgan’s arrest last month Lee requested and was granted a temporary restraining order against the business manager. Paperwork for the restraining order cited reports of elder abuse. A hearing regarding the restraining order is set for July 6. In addition to the restraining order, Lee’s former attorney Tom Lallas has been appointed guardian ad litem for Lee.
Since the death of Lee’s wife Joan in 2017, the legendary creator’s personal life has spiraled into public disarray. Last year there were claims of theft and embezzlement of money from Lee. In-fighting amongst his inner circle even led to the firing of his longtime road manager Max Anderson, and reports continue popping up that those left in Lee’s posse are closely monitoring his public appearances. And in addition to the allegations of elder abuse, this spring, a series of public appearances in which Lee appeared tired and not himself concerned fans and friends alike, as did some curious situations regarding Lee’s Twitter account. Morgan reportedly controlled Lee’s account, which recently purged nearly all of its contents and most of its follows — most notably many of the celebrities who were outspoken with their concerns about Lee’s well-being.
As for Morgan, Kessel said that his client has only Lee’s best interests in mind and has only done what he feels is best for Lee.
Morgan’s case on the false report charges is set for pretrial hearing on July 26.
