The Maine attorney general office says it's reached a $2 million settlement in its lawsuit against the personal representative of artist Robert Indiana's estate.
The attorney general sued Rockland attorney James Brannan for allegedly paying excessive fees to himself and four law firms he hired while defending Indiana's estate against litigation related to copyrights and production rights.
According to a press release from the office of Maine Attorney General Aaron Frey, the combined fees exceeded $10 million. Frey says he sued Brannan and the law firms because the sole beneficiary of Indiana's estate is a charitable organization, the Star of Hope. And every dollar unnecessarily paid to Brannan and the firms, says Frey, "was another dollar unavailable to the charity to fulfill its mission and Robert Indiana’s vision.”
Robert Indiana is best known for his pop-art image of the word "LOVE." He lived in Vinalhaven in his later years until his death in 2018, and had established the Star of Hope to restore his residence on Vinalhaven into a museum and arts center.
