We are proud to have secured a $102.2 million jury verdict for Morgan Art Foundation, the largest jury verdict in art litigation history, after an eight-year, multi-front battle against Michael McKenzie and his company, American Image Art. Partner Luke Nikas led the team, working alongside Of Counsel Paul Maslo and associate Alex May Lefkowitz.
McKenzie created thousands of unauthorized copies of Robert Indiana's iconic LOVE artwork and other important Indiana works, and conspired to strip our client of its intellectual property rights to LOVE and those other works.
The result required creative strategic maneuvering across years of litigation, including:
- Negotiating a deal with the heir to the Indiana estate that neutralized a hostile estate litigation early in the case, which Reuters described as “uncommonly interesting lawyering,” and “pièce de résistance” and “surprise move” that “completely blindsided” our opponents.
- Securing the removal of McKenzie’s co-conspirators from positions of control.
- Obtaining sanctions against McKenzie related to his discovery misconduct.
At trial, the team delivered a focused and compelling narrative, culminating in Robert Indiana's own recorded voice: "How do you restrain Michael? Help me. He's beyond me. . . . He's mischievous."
This verdict conclusively vindicates our client's rights, restores trust to the Robert Indiana market, and sends a clear message to those who exploit artists and their legacy.
Read the article to learn more.