More than 2,400 drawings by late cartoonist Ben Wicks must be returned to his family after they were left in a sold home 15 years ago, an Ontario judge has ruled.

The cartoonist's family said in court that movers left the sketches behind during a move in 1992, while the man claiming ownership argued that the works were abandoned because they were found in garbage bags.

Superior Court Judge Thomas Lederer ruled Wednesday that the cartoons were rightfully the property of the family and that there was no intention to throw them away, the Toronto Star reported.

There was no clear intent to abandon the sketches, Lederer said, adding that there was evidence the garage where the bags were found was used for storage, not garbage.

The sketches were left in a Keswick, Ont., house owned by the cartoonist's son, Vincent Wicks.

The family only learned the sketches had been left behind when the person who found them asked for permission to publish the drawings several years ago.