Beanie Babies billionaire appeals dismissal of lawsuit against Santa Barbara museum
Warner filed a notice of appeal on February 2, seeking review by the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit.
Law and Crime
Beanie Babies billionaire Ty Warner has appealed a federal judge’s decision dismissing his lawsuit against the Santa Barbara Museum of Natural History over the removal of his name from the museum’s Sea Center.
Warner filed a notice of appeal on February 2, seeking review by the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit after a district judge ruled last month that his claims were filed too late under the statutes of limitations.
The appeal challenges a January 8 order by U.S. District Judge R. Gary Klausner of the Central District of California that granted the museum’s motion to dismiss the case and closed the action.
The Ninth Circuit has assigned a docket number for the appeal. Warner’s opening brief is due March 17, and the museum’s response brief is scheduled for April 16, according to a time schedule order from the appellate court.
Paid subscribers can read the full document.
Court Documents: Ty Warner Appeals Lawsuit Dismissal
Records from U.S. District Court for the Central District of California
Adam Schrader
The filing comes after Judge Klausner dismissed Warner’s lawsuit, which centered on a long-standing dispute over naming rights for the Sea Center, a marine science facility run by the museum on Stearns Wharf in Santa Barbara.
Warner had alleged the museum violated a naming agreement tied to a $1.5 million donation he made to help complete reconstruction of the Sea Center in the early 2000s. The facility carried his name for years before the museum removed it in 2014 after Warner pleaded guilty to tax evasion in federal court.
In dismissing the lawsuit, Klausner ruled that Warner’s own complaint acknowledged the museum removed his name in 2014, meaning the statute of limitations on the claims had already expired years before the lawsuit was filed in 2025.
The judge therefore granted the museum’s motion to dismiss and ordered the case closed.
Follow along with other lawsuits at Urgent Matter's art lawsuit tracker.
Members Discussion