On behalf of its client, the estate of iconic American pop artist Robert Indiana, Venable took action in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York to protect Mr. Indiana's artistic legacy and the market for his works.
On May 10, 2019, Mr. Indiana's estate notified Morgan Art Foundation Ltd., Simon Salama-Caro, American Image Art, and Michael McKenzie that all of their agreements with Mr. Indiana have terminated, and that they are no longer authorized to reproduce any works based on images of Mr. Indiana's art, including his "LOVE" and "HOPE" designs.
Shortly thereafter, Venable asked the U.S. District Court for permission to add counterclaims in its current litigation against Morgan Art, Salama-Caro, and related entities. The proposed counterclaim seeks declaratory and injunctive relief relating to the terminated agreements. The claims also allege breaches of fiduciary duties, for which the estate seeks damages, disgorgement of profits, and other relief.
The Venable team representing the estate of Robert Indiana includes Kevin Lipson, Ed Boyle, Jessie Beeber, Kan Nawaday, John Vazquez, and Josh Kaufman.
Knox VillageSoup, The Boston Globe, Artnet News, Portland Press Herald, and Art Fix Daily covered the complaint.