LOS ANGELES, June 6 ― A former manager for Stan Lee pleaded not guilty yesterday to charges of elder abuse against the superhero creator in the last few months of his life.

Keya Morgan, 43, a New York-based memorabilia collector, entered the plea in Los Angeles Superior Court where he faces five counts of elder abuse, including false imprisonment, fraud and forgery stemming from an incident last summer when Lee was 95-years-old.

Morgan was arrested in Arizona last month. His bail was set at US$300,000 (RM1.25 million).

Lee, the co-creator of Spider-Man, Iron Man, The Hulk and dozens of other Marvel superheroes, died in November 2018 at age 95.

Last year, Lee’s family obtained a restraining order against Morgan after accusing him of seizing control of Lee’s Hollywood Hills home, hiring security guards to keep away relatives and associates, and moving the comic book creator to an unfamiliar condominium. ― Reuters