Gordon Lee (comic Store Owner) - 1994 Obscenity Conviction

1994 Obscenity Conviction

Gordon Lee is the owner of the comic book store Legends, which is based in Rome, Georgia. Lee was convicted on February 18, 1993 of "distributing obscene materials" for selling the pornographic comics Final Tabu and Debbie Does Dallas to adult customers. He was fined $1,000 and sentenced to 12 months; both were suspended on payment of $250. Lee made appeals to the court, but they were denied by the Georgia Court of Appeals and Georgia Supreme Court in 1994. The Comic Book Legal Defense Fund assisted with fees for the trial and the appeal.

On September 3, 1993, Lee filed suit for the return of inventory seized in conjunction with the obscenity case. The comics seizure had occurred on November 1, 1991, the day the police received a complaint about comics that were purchased at Legends. Around 300 books were taken as evidence under a search warrant, but were not returned until July 29, 1994, when the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Georgia issued a ruling ordering the district attorney to return the inventory within ten days.