William Crabtree v. Robert Kirkman

O 2 3 4 5 6 7 UNITED STATES DISTRICT COURT CENTRAL DISTRICT OF CALIFORNIA 10 Case No.: 2:22-cv-00180-MEMF-AFM WILLIAM CRABTREE,

Plaintiff, ORDER GRANTING IN PART MOTION

FOR SUMMARY JUDGMENT [ECF NO. 32]

v.

ROBERT KIRKMAN, an individual; ROBERT KIRKMAN, LLC, a Kentucky limited liability company; and DOES 1–10, inclusive, Defendants.

18 19 Before the Court is the Motion for Summary Judgment filed by Defendants Robert Kirkman and Robert Kirkman, LLC. ECF No. 32. For the reasons stated herein, the Court GRANTS IN PART the Motion for Summary Judgment. I. Background A. Factual Background Plaintiff William Crabtree (“Crabtree”) worked as the colorist for the comic book series Invincible. Defendant Robert Kirkman (“Kirkman”) is the co-creator and writer of Invincible, and Robert Kirkman, LLC (“RKLCC,” or collectively with Kirkman, “Defendants”) is Kirkman’s limited liability company. Crabtree and Kirkman dispute whether…