Prosecutors dropped charges Wednesday in the midst of the trial against three men accused of conspiring to sell nearly 100 stolen pages of hand-written lyrics from the Eagles’ “Hotel California” and other works, the Associated Press reported.
The charges were reportedly dropped after emails were uncovered that questioned the trial’s ... [+]
Glenn Horowitz, Craig Inciardi and Edward Kosinski—three well-known collectors—were charged with conspiracy to criminally possess stolen property and other offenses in 2022, with all three pleading not guilty.
Assistant Manhattan District Attorney Aaron Ginandes informed Judge Curtis Farber the case—which went to trial in late February—would no longer be pursued in light of new emails that called the fairness of the trial into question, AP reported.
According to AP, Eagles’ co-founder Don Henley waived attorney-client privilege after testifying, which gave the defense access to the emails.
Jonathan Bach, an attorney for Horowitz, told Forbes the office “made the right decision” in dropping the case, adding that “it should never have been brought.”
The Manhattan District Attorney’s Office did not immediately respond to Forbes’ requests for comment.
“We are glad the district attorney’s office made the right decision and finally decided to drop this case,” Bach said. “It should never have been brought. Mr. Horowitz looks forward to carrying on with his important work.”
According to AP, the Eagles’ album “Their Greatest Hits 1971-1975” became the best-selling album in the U.S. in 2018, surpassing Michael Jackson’s “Thriller.” “Hotel California” is the third best-selling album of all time.
Rare-Book Dealer Charged After Pilfered Eagles Lyrics Come to Light (The New York Times)
Checking Into the Eagles’ ‘Hotel California’ Criminal Trial (Vulture)
Welcome to the ‘Hotel California’ case: The trial over handwritten lyrics to an Eagles classic (AP)
Beating King of Pop, The Eagles have No.1 album of all-time (AP)