Another day, another strange chapter in the ongoing saga of Marvel Comics co-creator, Stan Lee. We just reported on the outpouring of fan and celebrity support for Lee, following months of reports about how the comic book icon has suffered everything from being swindled financially, to having his very blood stolen!
In the midst of all this, Lee has come out in denial that he's being abused or taken advantage of, going so far as threatening to sue over reports that refute that claim. That's why it's now especially strange to hear that Stan Lee is himself suing one of the people close to him, for millions of dollars.
TMZ is dropping the story that Stan Lee is suing Jerardo Olivarez, his ex-business manager. The accusations point to Olivarez being the perpetrator of the much-publicized misuse of Lee's money, a story which began to circulate last fall. Among the alleged crimes, Olivarez is said to be the person who purchased nearly a million dollars worth of real estate in Lee's name - in addition to stealing nearly $300K from him. Taking things even further, it's alleged that Olivarez is also the person who pushed one of Lee's live-in nurses to extract a copious amount of the icon's blood, which ended up being used to sign some Black Panther comics that popped up on sale in Las Vegas.
With this latest development, we now arrive at two conflicting stories about what all is going on with Lee. On the one hand, Lee himself is claiming that reports of his misfortune are being exaggerated and skewed; on the other hand, months upon months of insidious reports all seem to culminate with the assertion that Olivarez was at the heart of a concerted effort to scam Lee out of money, and/or take advantage of his age.
Of course, there may be more to this than it seems. This suit focuses on Olivarez, but in the big report breaking down Lee's situation, it was alleged that there is a group of perpetrators who were at the heart of the scandal. Per THR:
The declaration then explicates how three men with "bad intentions" ? Jerardo "Jerry" Olivarez, Keya Morgan and J.C.'s attorney, Kirk Schenck ? had improperly influenced his daughter, a woman with "very few adult friends." The document claims the trio has "insinuated themselves into relationships with J.C. for an ulterior motive and purpose": to take advantage of Lee and "gain control over my assets, property and money."
