In March this year, Don Henley, the lead singer of the Eagles, discovered that handwritten notes and song lyrics for their iconic hit “Hotel California” were being auctioned. He claimed the pages had been stolen from him, igniting a controversy over their rightful ownership. Henley’s concerns led to a criminal investigation, which ultimately targeted three individuals: Glenn Horowitz, Craig Inciardi, and Edward Kosinski. These men, known as collectible experts, were accused of trying to profit from the allegedly stolen documents.
Despite the gravity of the accusations, prosecutors eventually decided to drop the criminal charges against them. Undeterred by this setback, Henley remained steadfast in his pursuit of justice, emphasizing his commitment to reclaiming the stolen memorabilia and holding the alleged perpetrators accountable. Recently, the 76-year-old followed through on his promise by officially filing a new lawsuit against Horowitz, Inciardi, and Kosinski.
Don Henley files suit to recover handwritten notes containing ‘Hotel California’ lyrics
On Friday, 28th of June, Henley initiated a civil suit at a Manhattan Federal court seeking repossession of the notes. His attorney, Daniel Petrocelli in an email statement after the filing asserted that the handwritten notes and lyrics in question were unequivocally the personal property of Henley and his family.
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Petrocelli maintained that at no point had his client authorized any individual or entity, including the three defendants named in the complaint, to sell, distribute, or otherwise commercialize these personal items for profit. He stressed that Henley was steadfast in his position that these materials were never intended to be part of any commercial transaction and that any attempts to profit from them were unauthorized and against his explicit wishes.
arriving for the “History of the Eagles Part One” screening as part of the Sundance London Festival 2013 at the O2, Greenwich, London 25/04/2013 Picture by: Steve Vas / Featureflash
Edward Kosinski and Craig Inciardi’s lawyers say they are ready for the legal battle ahead
Lawyers representing Kosinski and Inciardi dismissed the legal action against their clients as unfounded. They pointed out that the initial criminal case had been dropped after it was discovered that Henley had misled prosecutors by withholding essential information.
Shawn Crowley, the lawyer for Kosinski, expressed in an emailed statement that Don Henley was attempting to rewrite history. He emphasized their eagerness to litigate the case and to bring a lawsuit against Henley to hold him responsible for what they described as his repeated lies and misuse of the justice system.