Prosecutors Drop Charges Midtrial Against 3 Accused Of Possessing Stolen ‘Hotel California’ Lyrics
March 6, 2024 9:51AM PST
FILE – Members of The Eagles, from left, Timothy B. Schmit, Don Henley, Glenn Frey and Joe Walsh pose with an autographed guitar after a news conference at the Sundance Film Festival, Jan. 19, 2013, in Park City, Utah. On Wednesday, Feb. 21, 2024, an unusual criminal trial is set to open over the handwritten lyrics to the band’s classic rock blockbuster’ “Hotel California.” (Photo by Chris Pizzello/Invision/AP, File)
NEW YORK (AP) — A lawyer for Don Henley says the Eagles star “will pursue all his rights in the civil courts” after New York prosecutors abruptly dropped their criminal case midtrial against three men accused of conspiring to possess hand-drafted lyrics to “Hotel California” and other hits by the band.
The judge dismissed the case Wednesday morning.
The Manhattan district attorney’s office cited newly available communications that defense lawyers say raised questions about the trial’s fairness.
The trial had been underway since late February.
The case centered on roughly 100 pages of legal-pad pages from the creation of the colossal “Hotel California” album.
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