The Eagles are one of the greatest selling artists of all time.

‘Hotel California’ is their greatest hit.

But now a lawsuit has unraveled over who might have sold their source material for their most famous song and more.

And key Eagle Don Henley is in the thick of it.

Stolen Lyrics?

Yahoo Entertainment reports, “Don Henley completed his testimony in New York on Wednesday in the Hotel California lyrics trial. Henley, one of the founding members of the Eagles, claims approximately 100 legal-pad sheets of handwritten notes used to craft the iconic 1976 album were stolen before unscrupulously popping up at auctions. It’s an unusual criminal case in which three collectibles dealers are on trial.”

“In 2022, three individuals were charged with possessing stolen handwritten notes for the Eagles album Hotel California. The papers contained Henley’s eventual lyrics for songs like ‘Hotel California,’ ‘Life in the Fast Lane’ and ‘New Kid in Town.’ Hotel California is the third-best-selling album of all time,” Yahoo notes.

The story continued:

Glenn Horowitz, a rare book dealer, and rock memorabilia specialists Craig Inciardi and Edward Kosinski. They’ve all pleaded not guilty.

“Despite knowing that the materials were stolen, the defendants attempted to sell the manuscripts, manufactured false provenance, and lied to auction houses, potential buyers, and law enforcement about the origin of the material,” the Manhattan District Attorney’s office told Yahoo Entertainment in a 2022 press release.

They are valued at more than $1 million, per the Manhattan D.A.

It’s not unusual for there to be ownership disputes over valuable items, but they’re typically handled privately or in civil cases.

The manuscripts were allegedly stolen in the late 1970’s by author Ed Sanders, who had been hired to write a biography of the Eagles. The biographer is said to have sold the manuscripts to Horowitz in 2005, who then sold them to Inciardi and Kosinski. (Sanders has not been charged with a crime.) How Sanders got the notes is essentially the question at the center of the case.

Strange Case

The story notes that, “In court this week, Henley testified that while he gave Sanders access to his handwritten notes, he never gave the writer permanent possession. ‘It just wasn’t something that was for public viewing. It was our process. It was something very personal, very private,’ he said. ‘I still wouldn’t show that to anybody.”

What the out come is anyone’s guess, but it’s definitely an unusual case.

The trial is expected to last for weeks.

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