Kate Taylor has one of the most bizarre art market stories to come out in a long time. Todd White is an illustrator who launched a fine art career after gaining fame from the cartoon character SpongeBob SquarePants. Now his dealer claims he hired thugs to assault her, steal back White’s artwork and her client list. White’s lawyer says the story is quite different:

In an e-mail, a lawyer for Mr. White, Paul S. Berra, called the lawsuit “completely ridiculous.” He said that Mr. White had caught Ms. Howell copying his artwork and that, upon being confronted, she agreed to return his work in exchange for not being sued. The encounter “is on tape, and Ms. Howell openly and repeatedly admits to engaging in fraud,” Mr. Berra wrote, adding that Mr. White “intends to sue Ms. Howell for malicious prosecution and refer this matter to the appropriate district attorney’s office.”

Former SpongeBob Artist Sued for Allegedly Arranging Attack in His Art Dealer (ArtsBeat/New York Times)