A federal judge in California has dismissed Charlottesville native and Internet entrepreneur Halsey Minor’s class-action lawsuit against auction house Sotheby’s. Minor’s suit had accused Sotheby’s of fraud and breach of fiduciary duty because he alleged that Sotheby’s sold him Edward Hicks’ “Peaceable Kingdom with the Leopard of Serenity” without telling him it had been given to Sotheby’s by one of its creditors in order to pay off a debt. Sotheby’s original suit in New York federal court against Minor remains ongoing, and the California judgment leaves the door open for Minor to file his class action suit in New York. Sotheby’s alleges Minor won three paintings at auction for a total of $16.8 million and did not pay for them.