Judge greenlights Marvel chairman’s wife’s lawsuit against Kasowitz law firm

(Reuters) – A Palm Beach County, Florida judge has refused to dismiss a malicious prosecution lawsuit brought against law firm Kasowitz Benson Torres by the wife of Marvel Entertainment LLC chairman Ike Perlmutter.

Judge Joseph Curley on Tuesday ruled that Laura Perlmutter does not need to wait to sue before an appeal is filed in an earlier lawsuit brought against her by a Palm Beach neighbor, Toronto businessman Harold Peerenboom.

Peerenboom, represented by the Kasowitz firm, had claimed the Perlmutters were behind mailings falsely accusing him of sexual assault and other misdeeds. He cited DNA evidence that purportedly linked Laura Perlmutter to the hate-mail campaign.

Perlmutter alleges in her December lawsuit against Kasowitz that her DNA was “illegally obtained.” A judge dismissed Peerenboom’s libel case in September, finding there was “no evidence whatsoever that the Perlmutters had any hand in those mailings.”

If Peerenboom appeals, Laura Perlmutter’s suit against the Kasowitz firm and former partner Michael Bowen can be stayed, Curley ruled Tuesday. But he rejected Kasowitz’s argument that the malicious prosecution claims are not “ripe” and should be dismissed.

Curley’s ruling “brings us another step closer to a full airing of the facts in this case, which we believe will ensure that those who wrongfully accused Laura Perlmutter are held accountable,” her attorney Joshua Dubin said in a statement.

The Kasowitz firm and Bowen are represented by attorneys from Florida law firm Katzman, Wasserman, Bennardini & Rubinstein. They did not respond to a request for comment, and neither did a spokesperson for the Kasowitz firm.

Bowen, now a partner at Glenn Agre Bergman & Fuentes, did not respond to a request for comment.

The case is Laura Perlmutter v. Kasowitz Benson Torres LLP, et al., 15th Judicial Circuit Court, Florida, Case No. 50-2021-CA-013756-XXXX-MB

For Perlmutter: Jay Eisenhofer and Kelly Tucker of Grant & Eisenhofer; and Joshua Dubin

For the Kasowitz firm and Bowen: Steven Katzman and Helaina Bardunias, Katzman Wasserman Bennardini & Rubinstein PA

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Marvel chairman Perlmutter’s wife sues Kasowitz Benson over ‘malicious’ lawsuit

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