Eagles singer Don Henley is seeking the return of his handwritten notes and song lyrics from the band’s iconic Hotel California album, according to a lawsuit filed Friday in New York.
The federal court civil complaint is the second attempt to claim the documents. In March, prosecutors dropped criminal charges midway through a trial against three collectibles experts accused of trying to sell the items.
Henley claims the pages were stolen. He said he would pursue a civil remedy when the criminal case was dropped against rare books dealer Glenn Horowitz, former Rock & Roll Hall of Fame curator Craig Inciardi, and rock memorabilia seller Edward Kosinski.
Hotel California was released by the Eagles in 1977 and is the third-biggest selling album of all time in the U.S.
“These 100 pages of personal lyric sheets belong to Mr. Henley and his family, and he has never authorized defendants or anyone else to peddle them for profit,” Daniel Petrocelli, Henley’s lawyer, said in an emailed statement Friday to the Associated Press..
Kosinski and Inciardi’s attorneys dismissed the legal action as baseless, noting the criminal case was dropped after it was determined that Henley misled prosecutors by withholding critical information.
“Don Henley is desperate to rewrite history,” Shawn Crowley, Kosinski’s lawyer, said in an emailed statement. “We look forward to litigating this case and bringing a lawsuit against Henley to hold him accountable for his repeated lies and misuse of the justice system.”
Inciardi’s lawyer, Stacey Richman, said in a separate statement that the lawsuit attempts to “bully” and “perpetuate a false narrative.”
A lawyer for Horowitz didn’t respond to an email seeking comment.
Associated Press contributed to this report.
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