ART

Judge Dismisses Suit: A federal judge has thrown out an art dealer’s lawsuit against the estate of Hal B. Wallis, the late movie producer and art collector. This came after a settlement between Wallis and Wildenstein & Co., a Manhattan dealer that bought a Monet and a Gauguin from Wallis’ wife, Martha Hyer, in 1980. The decision by U.S. District Judge Miriam G. Cedarbaum said Hyer sold the paintings for $650,000 without her husband’s knowledge. When Wallis discovered the paintings had been sold, he went to Wildenstein and arranged to buy back the paintings and agreed to give Wildenstein first option to buy his 15 paintings in the event of a sale. Wildenstein sued in 1989, after Wallis’ death, accusing the estate of fraud and breach of contract. Cedarbaum said the agreement between Wallis and Wildenstein was invalid.