Final Sentencing In Norval Morrisseau Forgery Scandal Derailed By New Allegations The Art Newspaper International Art News And Events

(MENAFN- USA Art News) Canadian Gallery EA Studios Sues Norval Morrisseau Estate Limited and Its Head, Seeking $1 Million

A new lawsuit is testing the already fraught terrain around the market for works attributed to Ojibwe artist Norval Morrisseau, as an Alberta gallery claims it was first promised protection and then publicly undermined.

EA Studios, a gallery based in Alberta, has filed suit against Norval Morrisseau Estate Limited and its head, Dingle, alleging breach of contract and defamation and seeking $1 million in damages. The claim centers on what the gallery describes as an arrangement meant to reassure prospective buyers about the authenticity of works it was offering.

According to Sommers, who is representing EA Studios, the gallery alleges that it, Norval Morrisseau Estate Limited, and Dingle“entered into contractual arrangements” under which the defendants would confirm to EA’s potential clients that EA was selling authentic works by Morrisseau. Instead, the lawsuit alleges, the defendants did the opposite: they allegedly defamed EA and suggested its inventory might not be authentic, or that it had been acquired improperly by taking advantage of Morrisseau. The suit further claims the defendants then attempted to redirect those prospective clients toward works held in the Estate’s own inventory.

The allegations have not been proven in court. The defendants deny the claims, and Dingle declined to comment on the EA Studios lawsuit.

The dispute unfolds against the backdrop of years of scrutiny surrounding Morrisseau forgeries, a subject that has generated criminal investigations and multiple prosecutions in Canada. The market for Morrisseau, a foundational figure in contemporary Indigenous art in Canada, has been particularly vulnerable to contested attributions and disputed provenance.

Separate filings referenced in the reporting add another layer to the conflict. Zemanovich states in an affidavit that in early 2024, after becoming concerned about the estate and what he describes as its members’ relationship to fraud, his company wrote to Dingle requesting basic information about Dingle himself and the estate’s“shareholders,” whom Dingle had“referred repeatedly.” Zemanovich says Dingle did not respond.

Zemanovich and Sommer also describe a prior attempt to formalize their role in the authentication ecosystem. In 2023, they began negotiations with Dingle to serve as experts on Morrisseau forgeries for potential buyers. They later withdrew from those talks, saying there was“an attempt to unduly influence and possibly control our opinion-making independence.”

The legal claims now before the court underscore how questions of expertise, authority, and market confidence continue to collide in the wake of the Morrisseau forgery scandal. As the case proceeds, it is likely to be watched closely by collectors, dealers, and institutions navigating due diligence in a market where reputational harm can travel faster than documentation.

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