Stan Lee granted new elder abuse restraining order against former manager amid confusion in LA court

The private struggle over the care and legacy of Marvel mastermind Stan Lee played out in a Los Angeles courtroom as attorneys working with his daughter shoved aside a previous lawyer and reasserted that they represent the 95-year-old Lee.Variety reports a new restraining order had been filed on Thursday after Superior Court Judge Pro Tem Ruth Kleman dismissed the one from last month. They were granted an elder abuse restraining order against a former manager of Lee, just as the previous attorney had done, but only after a judge heard arguments about who should speak for Lee.[caption id="attachment_4509955" align="alignnone" width="825"]

Stan Lee and Keya Morgan at the world premiere of Avengers: Infinity War in Los Angeles. AP/ Jordan Strauss[/caption]In the tiny courtroom packed with current and former attorneys and associates of Lee, lawyer Tom Lallas asked for a 30-day extension of the temporary restraining order he had received against Lee's former manager Keya Morgan. Lallas has said in legal documents and news releases in recent weeks that he was representing Lee.Kleman refused to consider the motion, saying it appeared Lallas was not employed by Lee.Morgan has denied the allegations. Neither Lee nor Morgan were in court for Friday’s hearing. Morgan’s attorney, Alex Kessel, did not commentLee, the co-creator of comic book superheroes Spider-Man, Iron Man, the Hulk and dozens of others, has an estate worth some $50 million, according to previous court documents. But his well-being has been the subject of numerous headlines following the death a year ago of his wife, Joan, the firing of previous close associates, and the influence of Morgan.The Hollywood Reporter in April published a lengthy investigation, which concluded that Lee was caught in the middle of several people close to him who were vying for control over his personal and financial affairs.Tom Lallas, the attorney who filed for the restraining order last month, was fired by Lee earlier this year, Lee’s daughter, JC Lee, told reporters after Friday’s hearing. “My father has a strong team behind him, and he’s doing very well. I’ve known exactly what was happening every step of the way,” she said.Attorney Robert J Reynolds, who said he now represents Lee, told reporters after Friday’s hearing that a new request for a temporary restraining order against Morgan would be filed. Morgan said in a Twitter statement last month that he had “shown nothing but love, respect & kindness to Stan Lee, & his wife, a fact he has repeated countless time. I have NEVER EVER abused my dear friend.”However Lee’s company POW! Entertainment expressed its concern in a statement in April, saying that his appearances and speeches earlier this year were “not the normal Stan disposition, which is usually loaded with an endless energy and exuberance that fans around the world have come to love and admire throughout the years.”