ENTERTAINMENT

Judge Rules Against Warner Bros. in James Dean Suit: U.S. District Judge William Matthew Byrne Jr. ruled in Los Angeles that actor James Dean’s 1954 contract with Warner Bros. does not give the studio the merchandising rights to the late star’s name or image now controlled by family members. The Burbank studio had sued Curtis Management and the James Dean Foundation Trust, made up of Dean’s aunt and two cousins. Warner Bros. contended that it had been defrauded of at least $30 million since 1984, when Curtis Management started licensing the Dean image for the foundation. The studio had sought any money owed, plus triple the actual damages, or $90 million, in addition to marketing rights to Dean’s name and image. A spokesman for the studio said it was evaluating the possibility of an appeal.