Slesinger Seeks to Reinstate Pooh Case

The owners of merchandising rights for Winnie the Pooh characters, whose 14-year-old case against Walt Disney Co. was dismissed last year, asked a California appeals court to reinstate their case.

A Los Angeles superior court judge tossed Stephen Slesinger Inc.’s lawsuit last year after concluding that the family-owned company illegally obtained evidence from Disney’s trash. That ruling spared Burbank-based Disney the loss of its top-earning character and hundreds of millions in damages.

Slesinger’s appeal argues that California law doesn’t generally allow a trial judge to terminate a lawsuit as a sanction and a less severe penalty could have been used to remedy the alleged improper conduct. Slesinger sued Disney in 1991, claiming the company underpaid royalties on the sales of Winnie the Pooh merchandise.