Lawsuit over stolen Nazi art at U of Oklahoma suspended

OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) — A federal judge has suspended activity in a lawsuit that challenges the ownership of a painting that hangs at a University of Oklahoma art gallery as negotiations continue with a French woman who claims the artwork was stolen from her family by Nazis during World War II.

U.S. District Judge Joe Heaton signed an order to suspend activity in the lawsuit until Feb. 28 as negotiations continue between attorneys for Leone Meyer and the university over the painting "Shepherdess Bringing in Sheep" by the impressionist master Camille Pissarro.

An attorney for Meyer, Pierre Ciric, released a joint statement Thursday that states negotiations between Meyer, the university and the OU Foundation are ongoing and the parties "are diligently working to reach a final agreement."

Wesselhoft also said he has made a formal request for information and documents involving all 30 of the paintings the university received from the Weitzenhoffer family and believes there are other paintings in the collection that were looted by the Nazis.