CBLDF Announces Lee Trial Start Date, Seeks Strong Support at San Diego
The Comic Book Legal Defense Fund (CBLDF) has announced the trial of
Gordon Lee's case will begin on September 12, just four days following the
hearing on previous motions filed by CBLDF counsel.
Since January, the Fund has waged an aggressive defense of Lee, who faces two counts of the felony charge, "Distribution of Material Depicting Nudity or Sexual Conduct," a law that bans the unsolicited delivery of any content depicting nudity to any person in the state of Georgia, and carries a penalty of one-to-three years in prison and/or fines of up to $10,000.00. One of the two counts is for handing the comic to the alleged victim, and the other is for handing the comic to an alleged John or Jane Doe. Lee is also charged with five counts of violating the misdemeanor, "Distribution of Material Harmful to Minors." Lee is charged with three discrete counts of violating the law for handing a single copy of the comic book to the alleged victim. He is also charged with two counts for allegedly giving the comic to John or Jane Doe.
Last May, the attorneys representing Lee for the CBLDF filed four motions challenging these counts. To date, the Fund has spent in excess of $30,000.00 defending this case and anticipates needing to spend at least that much to properly wage the trial.
"Our legal team has been working hard in anticipation of a trial, and now that we have a date on the horizon they are moving full-steam ahead in preparing our case," said CBLDF Director Charles Brownstein. "We're optimistic about our arguments going in.
"That said, the late summer trial date places even greater urgency on our fundraising initiatives this summer. The strategy we're working from is aggressive, and a first-rate, aggressive legal strategy is very expensive to maintain. This summer, more so than any other time since I've been at the Fund, we need the support of the comics community. We need generous bids at our [Comic-Con International:] San Diego and Wizard World auctions, we need people to sign up and renew their memberships, and we need supporters who believe in the importance of the work we're doing to increase their support. We have the brainpower at our disposal to wage a first-rate defense, but now, more than ever, we need the money to pay for that defense. This is war time, and we need the combined support of the professional, retail, publishing, and fan communities to help us wage this war properly."
The CBLDF's fundraising plans for Comic-Con International: San Diego include:
All-Star San Diego Auction
Original art by Will Eisner, Jim Lee, Dave Sim, Dave Gibbons, Craig Thompson, and J. Scott Campbell; an original Alan Moore Swamp Thing script; a portfolio of top-notch Sandman art; and much more are just a few of the highlights of the CBLDF benefit auction. Scheduled for 7:00 p.m. P.D.T. on July 16, the auction will take place in Room 8 of the San Diego Convention Center. (Please Note: For descriptive highlights and selected graphics, please visit www.cbldf.org.)
"We're extremely grateful to the generous artists, companies, and individuals who have contributed so many fantastic items to this auction," said Brownstein. "With the Lee case going to trail at the end of the summer, we're lucky to have such a variety of amazing items to raise money for the Fund. We hope people bid generously, because their contributions at this auction will make a serious difference."
For those unable to attend the convention, the Fund will accept sealed bids until 3:00 p.m. P.D.T. on July 16. Sealed bids can be sent via email to director@cbldf.org, and the subject line must include the words, "Sealed Bid." Sealed bids must include a valid credit card number and current phone number. Non-winning bids will be shredded immediately following the auction, and the source emails deleted.
Original Art Available at CBLDF Booth
In addition to the auction, Comic-Con International attendees can also score original art by visiting the CBLDF booth (#1930) and signing up for a commissioned drawing. Jim Lee, Jeff Smith, Terry Moore, Tim Sale, Brian Stelfreeze, Jill Thompson, Amanda Conner, Matt Wagner, Scott Kurtz, Cammo, Peter Bagge, Cliff Chiang, Charlie Adlard, Jim Valentino, Jeffrey Brown, and Matt Kindt have all signed up to draw commissioned drawings in exchange for generous donations to the CBLDF. Commission sign-up sheets will be available as of the show's Preview Night, with drawings going to donors on a first-come, first-served basis.
Additionally, visitors to the CBLDF booth are encouraged to sign up for CBLDF membership, which will result in free admission to the CBLDF's MirrorMask Welcome Party on July 14. Sponsored by The Jim Henson Company, Destination Films, Samuel Goldwyn Films, and Dark Horse Comics, the party will feature art, props, and images from the upcoming film by Neil Gaiman and Dave McKean. Donated MirrorMask merchandise will also be available for bids, including the last remaining copies of the Bone: One Volume Edition SC, new MirrorMask products, Welcome Books' Jim Lee Superman 2006 Calendar, a chronicling of the Will Eisner Memorial Service, and much more! The MirrorMask Welcome Party will be held at the Westgate Hotel's Terrace Under the Stars, located at 1055 Second Avenue in San Diego, from 8:00 p.m. to 11:00 p.m.
To learn more about the CBLDF and the items that will be available via the San Diego auction, or to become a member, visit www.cbldf.org today.
Since January, the Fund has waged an aggressive defense of Lee, who faces two counts of the felony charge, "Distribution of Material Depicting Nudity or Sexual Conduct," a law that bans the unsolicited delivery of any content depicting nudity to any person in the state of Georgia, and carries a penalty of one-to-three years in prison and/or fines of up to $10,000.00. One of the two counts is for handing the comic to the alleged victim, and the other is for handing the comic to an alleged John or Jane Doe. Lee is also charged with five counts of violating the misdemeanor, "Distribution of Material Harmful to Minors." Lee is charged with three discrete counts of violating the law for handing a single copy of the comic book to the alleged victim. He is also charged with two counts for allegedly giving the comic to John or Jane Doe.
Last May, the attorneys representing Lee for the CBLDF filed four motions challenging these counts. To date, the Fund has spent in excess of $30,000.00 defending this case and anticipates needing to spend at least that much to properly wage the trial.
"Our legal team has been working hard in anticipation of a trial, and now that we have a date on the horizon they are moving full-steam ahead in preparing our case," said CBLDF Director Charles Brownstein. "We're optimistic about our arguments going in.
"That said, the late summer trial date places even greater urgency on our fundraising initiatives this summer. The strategy we're working from is aggressive, and a first-rate, aggressive legal strategy is very expensive to maintain. This summer, more so than any other time since I've been at the Fund, we need the support of the comics community. We need generous bids at our [Comic-Con International:] San Diego and Wizard World auctions, we need people to sign up and renew their memberships, and we need supporters who believe in the importance of the work we're doing to increase their support. We have the brainpower at our disposal to wage a first-rate defense, but now, more than ever, we need the money to pay for that defense. This is war time, and we need the combined support of the professional, retail, publishing, and fan communities to help us wage this war properly."
The CBLDF's fundraising plans for Comic-Con International: San Diego include:
All-Star San Diego Auction
Original art by Will Eisner, Jim Lee, Dave Sim, Dave Gibbons, Craig Thompson, and J. Scott Campbell; an original Alan Moore Swamp Thing script; a portfolio of top-notch Sandman art; and much more are just a few of the highlights of the CBLDF benefit auction. Scheduled for 7:00 p.m. P.D.T. on July 16, the auction will take place in Room 8 of the San Diego Convention Center. (Please Note: For descriptive highlights and selected graphics, please visit www.cbldf.org.)
"We're extremely grateful to the generous artists, companies, and individuals who have contributed so many fantastic items to this auction," said Brownstein. "With the Lee case going to trail at the end of the summer, we're lucky to have such a variety of amazing items to raise money for the Fund. We hope people bid generously, because their contributions at this auction will make a serious difference."
For those unable to attend the convention, the Fund will accept sealed bids until 3:00 p.m. P.D.T. on July 16. Sealed bids can be sent via email to director@cbldf.org, and the subject line must include the words, "Sealed Bid." Sealed bids must include a valid credit card number and current phone number. Non-winning bids will be shredded immediately following the auction, and the source emails deleted.
Original Art Available at CBLDF Booth
In addition to the auction, Comic-Con International attendees can also score original art by visiting the CBLDF booth (#1930) and signing up for a commissioned drawing. Jim Lee, Jeff Smith, Terry Moore, Tim Sale, Brian Stelfreeze, Jill Thompson, Amanda Conner, Matt Wagner, Scott Kurtz, Cammo, Peter Bagge, Cliff Chiang, Charlie Adlard, Jim Valentino, Jeffrey Brown, and Matt Kindt have all signed up to draw commissioned drawings in exchange for generous donations to the CBLDF. Commission sign-up sheets will be available as of the show's Preview Night, with drawings going to donors on a first-come, first-served basis.
Additionally, visitors to the CBLDF booth are encouraged to sign up for CBLDF membership, which will result in free admission to the CBLDF's MirrorMask Welcome Party on July 14. Sponsored by The Jim Henson Company, Destination Films, Samuel Goldwyn Films, and Dark Horse Comics, the party will feature art, props, and images from the upcoming film by Neil Gaiman and Dave McKean. Donated MirrorMask merchandise will also be available for bids, including the last remaining copies of the Bone: One Volume Edition SC, new MirrorMask products, Welcome Books' Jim Lee Superman 2006 Calendar, a chronicling of the Will Eisner Memorial Service, and much more! The MirrorMask Welcome Party will be held at the Westgate Hotel's Terrace Under the Stars, located at 1055 Second Avenue in San Diego, from 8:00 p.m. to 11:00 p.m.
To learn more about the CBLDF and the items that will be available via the San Diego auction, or to become a member, visit www.cbldf.org today.
