Names and faces

Harper Lee, the 87-year old author of To Kill a Mockingbird, has sued her former literary agent, claiming he took advantage of her age and infirmity to deprive her of royalties from the novel. Lee, of Monroeville, Ala., sued Samuel Pinkus and others to ensure her ownership of the copyright to the 1960 novel and to compel forfeiture of the agent’s commissions, according to a complaint filed last week in federal court in New York. Lee, who has failing eyesight and hearing, was residing in an assisted-living facility in 2007 after suffering a stroke when she signed a document assigning her copyright to Pinkus’ company, according to the complaint. While the copyright was reassigned to Lee last year after legal action and Pinkus was discharged as Lee’s agent, he was still receiving royalties from the novel this year, according to the complaint. “Pinkus knew that Harper Lee was an elderly woman with physical infirmities that made it difficult for her to read and see,” Gloria Phares, Lee’s attorney, said in the complaint. “Harper Lee had no idea she had assigned her copyright” to Pinkus’ company. There was no immediate response to a message left for Leigh Ann Winick, the wife of Pinkus. She is listed as the president of Keystone Literary LLC, another defendant. To Kill a Mockingbird won a Pulitzer Prize for fiction and has sold more than 30 million copies. It is Lee’s only published novel.

Charlie Sheen supports a decision by child protective services to remove his twin 4-year-old sons from the custody of his ex-wife and have them live temporarily with another of his exes, actress Denise Richards, his spokesman said Friday. Larry Solters wrote in a statement that Sheen will participate in court proceedings related to ex-wife Brooke Mueller’s custody of their sons. Mueller and Sheen were married in 2008 and divorced in 2011. Mueller has struggled with addiction for years, but it is unclear what prompted officials to remove her sons from her care. Sheen and Richards have two daughters from their marriage.